Collecting authentic artisan crafts from around the world is easier than ever before for local residents.  Just one trip to Fair and Square Imports (www.fairandsquareimports.com) in Historic Downtown McKinney (MAP: www.mapquest.com/#f81193c85870db8fe113204) and a person can find handmade home decor, jewelry, and other items from exotic places ranging from Vietnam to El Salvador. While prices might be a bit higher than a typical WalMart, Fair and Square Imports provides the satisfaction of knowing that your purchase will be benefiting someone, somewhere.

Fair & Square is owned and operated by McKinney residents Andrew and Kate Jones, who recently moved to the area from northwest Indiana. The couple has a history of nonprofit work – Andrew worked at an international nonprofit where he helped launch another Fair Trade store, and Kate previously worked at a local marketing agency, where she spent the majority of her time working with nonprofit clients.

According to the Fair and Square Imports website, fair trade around the world end cycles of poverty not only for families, but often whole communities, and gives developing regions a respectful alternative that often preserves cultural crafts and traditions. Fair trade ensures that a certain amount of the proceeds from a sale is given to the producer, and protects the well-being of workers by maintaining a set of standards for safety in the workplace.

Fair and Square Imports is the new go-to place in downtown McKinney for unique gifts and decorations, and should be the hot spot for anyone seeking that boho-esque look for this fall.

Here are just a few of the many items available at Fair and Square Imports and the charities they benefit:

• Teardrop Filigree Earrings – China, $18.50, benefits the Starfish Project (www.starfish-project.com), which provides exploited Asian women with alternative employment options and training and a range of holistic care services in three different Asian cities.

• Maasai Bangle – Kenya, $4.50, handmade by the Maasai, (www.maasai-association.org/maasai.html) a semi-nomadic tribe of Kenya and Tanzania who have lost a significant amount of their land due to urbanization and the purchase of land by outside individuals and thus lost the ability to produce a substantial amount of food.

• Animal Puzzles – India, $18, made by the Indian nonprofit HSSS (www.handmadeexpressions.net/collections/hsss), that works for the uplifting and development of underprivileged artisans. According to their website, the majority of artisans that HSSS supports come from Hindu and Muslim backgrounds, and have faced hardships such as physical handicaps, illiteracy, extreme poverty, entrapment in lower castes, and lack of knowledge about trade and markets, among others.

Fair and Square Imports is located at 219 E. Louisiana St. in McKinney, and their hours are Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and Sunday 12 p.m-5 p.m. Items can be purchased online and shipped directly to you at www.fairandsquareimports.com.