Ellen and Ann at Mingei World Arts just sent out this alert…

On Thursday and Friday this week, Mingei will donate 10% of total sales to Partners in Health for earthquake relief. We will also be accepting cash and check donations which we will forward. This organization, founded by Paul Farmer and Ophelia Dahl, has been working in Haiti for many years. Please read about their work here.

With all the scams popping up out there, it makes sense to rely on your fellow residents with intimate knowledge and the right connections to make sure your donations are spent wisely.

If you know of other local businesses or organizations that are collecting funds to help the Haitians in Port-au-Prince, please post below.

Mingei World Arts writes in and lets everyone know that Atlanta INTown has a bunch of Decatur businesses on it’s multiple choice list of “Best of the Holidays” survey.

Hoopla, Greene’s, Heliotrope, Cook’s Warehouse and Mingei have all been nominated.

I noticed almost-Decatur Wag-a-Lot on there too.

Mingei World Arts‘ email blast has all the details for this Church Street’s final Staycation Sunday of the summer.  The big news is that The Yogurt Tap will be open starting this weekend and will offer free samples on Sunday for the event.

Here are all the details.

Sunday, August 9 1-4pm

The last Staycation Sunday in 2009!

Come on over to Church Street this next Sunday to Get Local. Each of the seven participating businesses on the block will be featuring local suppliers, offering samples and special sales, and door prizes at the end of the day!

What’s happening on the street?

Read the rest of this entry »

He’s founded a book festival and come up with the idea of selling a beer for upwards of $2,000 in order to help locals in need.

Now Decatur’s Daren Wang has another article to stuff in his folder of “Crazy and Crazy Successful Ideas”: banner tote bags.

First introduced at the Decatur Book Festival launch party last month – though I don’t recall him saying the idea was his – Wang came up with the idea of recycling old DBF banners into messenger bags and totes.  He worked with Ann at Mingei World Arts to find a craftsman to fashion the bags and the rest is history.  Well, the rest will soon be history.

On Monday, in addition to tackling the document-heavy DeVry annexation, the Decatur city commission approved the “recycling” of old city banners into totes, fashioned by Colombian refugee Maria Cristina Giraldo Echeverria.  Echeverria is guaranteed $10 an hour for the work and 10% of sales from the fund go to Decatur Youth Fund, according to an AJC article this morning.

The AJC was so excited about this fashionable recycling story – especially in comparison to that snoozer topic of DeVry annexation – that they put a tease for the story in that little “metro” box on their front page this morning.

But the real question is, what will Daren Wang come up with next?  A beer-powdered lawn mower?  Dog collars that call 911 when your dog senses danger?   Sponsored port-o-lets?  Oh wait…

ALSO: Both my wife and Carl alert us to today’s Daily Candy that features Himalayan Trading Post Candles from Mingei.

FM Fats points out that Mingei World Arts just won AccessAtlanta’s “Best of the Big A” award for “the best place to buy a gift for someone who has everything”.  Greater Decatur’s Eagle Eye Book Shop came in second.

Congrats to both shops!

Mingei World Arts sends in this announcement about its 5-Year Anniversary and Day of the Dead specials/events…

Mingei’s Fifth Anniversary in Decatur!
Saturday, November 1, 10am- 7pm

Yes, we’ve been here five years!  (and yes, have signed a new lease-)

Please join us for 5% off on regularly priced merchandise all day, 25% off Dewali oil lanterns, clearance tables, other sneaky sales around the store, treats and surprises!

Yoga mini-lesson and consultations, 2-4pm. Fortunetelling. Cool “Dialog”, activism you can wear T-shirts! Goodies at 5:00pm!  (Oh– and it is Day of the Dead!  We’ll be building an altar, too. Bring your contributions!)

From a recent Mingei World Arts newsletter…

Saturday, August 30, 11:30am : Elizabeth Dulemba – Illustrator of Paco and the Giant Chile Plant will demonstrate her drawing and sign books.

Saturday, August 30, 3:00pm: Daryn Kagan – former CNN Anchor, creator of inspirational news site darynkagan.com and author will sign copies of her new book What’s Possible!
50 True Stories of People Who Dared To Dream They Could Make a Difference.

Sunday, 12:00pm – A Mandala Coloring Book- Ready for a break? Come in and chill and check out this artful, meditative Mandala coloring book for adults, created by local artist Carla Kaiser.

All Weekend Long: – Reading Figures from La Union! – We have new folk art figures from the carvers of this rural village in southern Mexico. 20% of sales will support the library, which opened on August 20!

Dialogue T-shirts- a World Premiere! – Want to learn more about the world, become an activist and get a new T? Don’t miss the global roll out of Dialogue T-shirts at Mingei this weekend ! Dialogue shirts feature facts about issues of concern and include a mini-CD with a short film on the issue and information on how you can act to make a difference. A portion of sales benefit CARE and the Enough Foundation.

For more details visit Mingei’s website

Ann over at Mingei World Arts sends us some great news…

Mingei World Arts is thrilled to announce that we have raised more than $2300 to date — more than enough to open the doors to the Library in La Union, Mexico!   Funds were raised through a benefit performance featuring Carmen Deedee and John McCutcheon at the Decatur Library on July 29 and from sales of hand-carved folk art reading figures from the carvers of the village.  The event was co-sponsored by the Georgia Center for the Book.

Ann VanSlyke, one of the owners of Mingei, is off to Mexico on Monday.  The Library inauguration is scheduled for August 20th.   For this project, Mingei partnered with Libros Para Pueblos, an organization that creates libraries in rural villages in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico.   Mingei continues to take donations and still has some of these wonderful reading figures, and more are on the way.  20% of sales of these figures will be sent to the library in perpetuity to support and maintain its programs.  The collection, including the newest pieces, will be featured during the Decatur Book Festival.

Donations to Libros Para Pueblos are tax deductible. For more information, visit their website at http://www.librosparapueblos.com. To earmark your donation for the La Union library, please donate through Mingei World Arts. Make checks payable to The Oaxaca Lending Library Foundation, with Libros Para Pueblos, La Union in the subject line.

Congrats Ann!

Both of these events revolve around libraries in some way.

Decatur library

Nick Edelstein
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Nick’s handiwork on lead guitar is impeccably precise, as each song spills with fervent balance…dazzling, mesmerizing guitar-driven Blues-Rock. Edelstein also shows his intimate side with soft-spoken material on endearing originals. His voice suits the blues man, with performances of “liquid gold.” Dealing with spiritual growth and metamorphosis, his songs yield raw, fiery blends and sinuous lines tempered by a melodic, structured approach that keeps your feet tapping and the house rocking.Mingei World Arts — bringing books to people of La Union Tejalapan, in Oaxaca state, Mexico

Mingei World Arts

Carmen Deedy and John McCutcheon will perform an evening of Latin Story and Song at the Decatur Library on July 29, 2008.

The performance, sponsored by Mingei World Arts and the Georgia Center for the Book, will benefit Libros Para Pueblos, an organzation buidling libraries in the rural state of Oaxaca, Mexico. Mingei World Arts, a unique import store in downtown Decatur, is partnering with Libros Para Pueblos to create a library for the people of La Union Tejalapan in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico.

For more information on the Georgia Center for the Book, please vist their website at http://georgiacenterforthebook.org/.

This event is free and open to the public, but we ask that you please consider
making a donation to help the Mexican Library.

Ann of Mingei World Arts writes in to let us know that you can preview some items on El Tesoro’s menu tomorrow from 1-4p in front of her shop at 427 Church Street.

Here’s Ann’s note in full…

El Tesoro, soon to be Decatur’s newest restaurant, will be sampling street tacos in front of Mingei World Arts at 427 Church Street tomorrow, Sunday, Feb. 17 from 1-4pm. Mingei is hosting a booksigning for a book on Oaxacan woodcarvers (Changing Dreams by Shep Barbash and Vicky Ragan) and Tesoro is joining up to add a festive flair and give us an opportunity for a tasty preview of their new business! Come on down!

Always great to see our local businesses supporting one another!

(Photo Courtesy of Mingei World Arts)