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Ken Setter's Book Review:
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Margaret Setter's Review:
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Vegan Virtual Shopping Sites
A Spotlight on Vegan Companies and Business
by M. 'Butterflies' Katz
Other Categories:
Vegan Virtual Shopping Sites:
Cosmo's Vegan Shoppe is an on-line store that sells 100% vegan products. “We will not sell any item that contains leather, fur, silk, honey, wool or any other animal derived product. We will not sell any product that has been tested on animals.” says the company owners, Ken (vegan for 9 years) and Leigh (vegan for 5 years). All
of the staff at Cosmo's Vegan Shoppe is vegan and they have been in business since March 1, 2005. Shop their site for products including supplements, protein powder, sweets, Liz Lovely cookies, chocolates, cosmetics, hair care, body care, skin care, condoms (which are usually not vegan), household products, wallets, bags, lip balm,
gluten-free products and much more! Cosmo's Vegan Shoppe was started by Ken and Leigh Saluzzi. Ken went vegetarian in 1994 after doing research for a college paper regarding the ivory trade in Africa.
During this time, the hardcore/punk scene (where some of the bands and record labels promoted the vegan lifestyle) helped raise his animal rights awareness and eventually turned him on to veganism in 1997. Shortly after Ken met Leigh in 2001, the discussion of opening their own vegan store occurred quite often. Ken wanted to provide an easy way for a vegan or a vegetarian to buy cruelty-free products without the hassle of reading ingredients. Leigh decided to go vegetarian fourteen years ago, at the age of 17. She begun writing letters to companies regarding their animal testing practices, and trading in her old leather shoes for man made ones. She used to think
that veganism would be too difficult for her, until she met Ken, who helped her see how easy being vegan could be. She's been vegan for 5 years, and will be for life. Cosmo's Vegan Shoppe is located at 1860
Sandy Plains Rd. Ste 204-208, Marietta, Georgia 30066
Phone: 800-260-9968 or 678-921-0102
Fax: (678) 921-0169
Web site: www.cosmosveganshoppe.com
Email: info@cosmosveganshoppe.com
****
AlternativeOutfitters.com sells only vegan products and is the brainchild of animal lover and vegan, Jackie Horrick. She has been vegetarian for 26 years, and a vegan for the last 3 years. Half of the staff is vegan. Jackie wanted to create an online resource where people from all over could find fashionable leather alternatives and
cruelty-free personal care items in one location. As a little girl, Jackie, adored animals of all kinds and essentially “adopted” a neighbour's goat, sheep and lambs - to the dismay of her mother. At 9 years old, she had a life-altering trip to Greece. While there, her hotel was across from a butcher shop. She watched as three helpless lambs were pulled from the back of a truck, tied up and weighed. The next morning, their carcasses hung in the window of the shop. Jackie quickly made the connection that the meat we consume actually comes from a living, breathing animal. It was at that point she became a vegetarian. She always dreamed of having a career that she could be proud of and enjoy doing. She thought of various career paths she could take, but the idea of starting her own company was terrifying. However, she knew she needed to do something that was near and dear to her heart, and it had to be something that she believed in. Her “Ah-Ha! moment” came when she realised she always had a problem finding shoes that were stylish, good quality and not made of leather. She knew there had to be other people out there who faced the same dilemma. Within months, she teamed up with friend Henny Hendra, created business plan and after 6 months of planning, Alternative Outfitters was born and went live in April 2004. The web site offers a tremendous selection of leather alternatives and cruelty-free products, including: non-leather footwear, handbags, belts, cellphone pouches, makeup, nail care and skin care, T-shirts with a message, vegan outerwear; faux suede jackets and wool-free scarves and hats. At long last, Jackie is finally living her dream.
Web site: www.AlternativeOutfitters.com
E-mail: CustomerCare@AlternativeOutfitters.com Toll free: 866-758-5837 Phone: (626) 396-4972 Fax: (626) 396-4952
****
Cruelty-Free Shop markets only vegan products. It is owned by Jessica who has been vegan for 5 years and the company was started 4 years ago. This site offers hundreds of products in these categories: household cleaners, cosmetics, skin care, body care, companion animal care, baby care, vegan food, cookbooks, accessories, candles, health, hair care, and gift boxes. In her own words, Jessica tells us how her
cruelty-free shop came to be and why: “The idea to start the Cruelty Free Shop was a result of years of trying to find reliable and reputable suppliers of cruelty-free products which always proved difficult and time consuming. I decided to launch the online Cruelty - Free Shop in order to make cruelty-free products accessible, in a quick and easy way, to people who care about animals – a one stop Cruelty Free shop. I believe that there are a lot of people out there who are aware of the barbarity of animal testing and I hope to spread the word so these people can show they care in a practical way - by only purchasing certified cruelty-free products. Unfortunately the
only way to get the message through to manufacturers that animal testing is unacceptable is to boycott their products, thereby hitting them where it hurts – in their profits! Recently there has been much talk in the press about “truth in labelling”, specifically with regards to claims of environmental friendliness of products. This same issue causes a problem with claims regarding animal testing.
Although any manufacturer can print “not tested on animals” on their labels, this does not offer any guarantees. Even if the manufacturer does not conduct animal tests themselves, they may have utilized external laboratories or the ingredients used in their products may have been tested by their suppliers. All our products have been certified cruelty-free by the independent, nonprofit organisation Choose Cruelty Free Australia. CCF's accreditation criteria are amongst the most stringent in the world. You can purchase products from manufacturers accredited by CCF safe in the
knowledge that they have not been tested on animals by the manufacturer, their agents or their suppliers. In keeping with the cruelty free concept I decided to stock only vegan products (i.e. no animal derived ingredients) as any industry that harvests animal derivatives involves further cruelty and exploitation.” The Cruelty
Free Shop (Australia) can be found on line at: www.crueltyfreeshop.com.au
E-mail: jessica@crueltyfreeshop.com.au
Phone 02 9564 5861 or Mobile 0400 823 030
****
The AFA Store on-line markets about 100 shirts, 220 books (including a very comprehensive choice of vegan cookbooks displayed with a photo and description), 150 buttons, 150 stickers, other items like license plate frames, rubber stamps, patches, magnets, reusable lunch bags, DVDs, bulk literature for outreach, and some vegan lip balms and all products are vegan. “We strive to only sell vegan cookbooks, though sometimes we order cookbooks that the supplier calls vegan that we find may contain an occasional recipes calling for “either cow's milk or soymilk,” or honey, etc.” explains the owner. We do strive to buy sweatshop free garments. The company is run by Action for Animals. AFA is based in Seattle Washington and is a nonprofit vegan outreach and education organisation. AFA has existed in its current form since 1999. The founder and director of the group has been vegan for 13 years. The staff of one, the founder and director of AFA, gets paid (annual pay is below poverty level) to run the store and the group. All others involved are volunteers. Under the name AFA Store, this business began in 2001. The AFA Store was started as the Vegan Book Project, a resource for vegan books before online shopping and mega-sellers like Amazon became popular. In 2001, The Vegan Book Project decided to expand into other items and then was merged into AFA and became the AFA Store. In conclusion, the owner adds: “Thank-you for promoting vegan, vegan run, small, non-corporate businesses!” The store is online only:
Web site: www.afastore.com Phone: (206) 227-5752
The organisation E-mail: afa@afa-online.org ****
TheVegetarianSite.com sells no animal products or byproducts of any kind. It is run by David Sudarsky, who has been vegan for 13 years.
All the staff is vegan. They sell hundreds of products including vegan and hemp shoes, belts, accessories, groceries, personal care products, clothing, books, DVDs and videos, juicers, etc. “I became vegan after being vegetarian for about 5 years. The basis was on ethical/animal rights grounds. As I learned more about the egg and dairy industries, there was simply no reasonable choice other than to become vegan. TheVegetarianSite.com was started 6 years ago initially as an informational web site. We soon opened an online store, where we specialised in environmentally friendly vegan products and donated 10% of all sales to nonprofit organisations (we still do). This is a great way to promote high quality vegan products while simultaneously contributing financially to animal rights and vegan organisations.” explains David. He concludes by telling us, “We offer $5 flat-rate shipping and we carry socially responsible brands. Many companies these days have most of their products manufactured in China under poor working conditions. We carefully screen our suppliers and avoid those companies that are questionable (many shoe manufacturers in particular)”. P.O. Box 18699, Tucson, AZ. 85731 Email: inquiries@TheVegetarianSite.com
Web site: www.TheVegetarianSite.com Phone: (520) 529-8691
**** One Stop Vegan Shop , sells ONLY vegan products, as you would guess from the name. This on-line store offers hundreds of personal care products, candles, books, children & baby, cosmetics, footwear, message shirts and products, oral care, paper products, shaving, and more products are continually being added. “I started learning more and more about animal rights. I became veg and was looking for many vegan products, but had to go to 3 or 4 stores to find everything and became frustrated. That's what prompted me to open my own store.” says Julie Setzer, the company owner, and a vegetarian for 3 years. Web site: www.onestopveganshop.com
E-mail: Onestopveganshop@yahoo.com Phone: (815) 978-1954
****
Vegetarian Shoes and Bags sell only vegan products. The company owner is a vegan for 10 years and 100% of the staff is vegan. The online site has been in business for 3 years offering men's and women's shoes, boots, sandals, handbags, belts, and pet carriers. The owner, Daniela, tells us “I love fashion, especially shoes and felt there just weren't enough choices out there to find stylish and fashionable shoes. It was very time consuming and frustrating searching shoe stores for non-leather, vegan shoes. Many of them have leather soles or leather insoles. I felt there was a market out there for other professionals with the same dilemma.” Daniela explains her move to veganism, “I became vegan ten years ago on Thanksgiving. I was biting into my traditional Thanksgiving turkey when it hit me and I felt the sheer panic this poor animal felt at the moment of slaughter. I spit out the meat, went home, cleaned out my kitchen and fridge and haven't looked back since.” In conclusion she adds, “We strive to make a difference in this world not only by providing cruelty free-footwear, but also by donating a generous portion of our profits to animal rescue and rights groups.”
Web site: www.vegetarianshoesandbags.com E-mail: customercare@vegetarianshoesandbags.com
****
Allison's Gourmet is an on-line organic, vegan artisan bakery and gift company that sells only vegan products. Presently, the product line includes cookies, brownies, monthly clubs, gift-boxed chocolate truffles and caramels, special holiday items, gift tins, and gift baskets and the product line is always expanding! Allison Rivers Samson, the company owner, has been vegan for 10 years, and a vegetarian for 8 years before making the transition to veganism. The answer she gives for becoming vegan is that she couldn't find any reason not to be, so it was an obvious and natural choice! A lifelong passion for sweets, coupled with a reverence for our planet and all of its inhabitants led Allison to open Allison's Gourmet in 1997, after eight years of carefully perfecting her recipes to rival or surpass any baked goods available. Allison's Gourmet won the Best Brownie Award in VegNews Magazine's Veggie Awards. Being the very first on-line vegan bakery, Allison's Gourmet has been featured in many print publications, like The Wall Street Journal, The San Francisco Chronicle, Vegetarian Times, VegNews Magazine, Healing Lifestyles & Spas, Woman's Day, E: The Environmental Magazine, Veggie Life, The Vegetarian Journal, The Puget Sound Business Journal, as well as several books, countless web site reviews, on the television shows Good Day L.A. and The Rosie O'Donnell Show, and is endorsed by numerous celebrities in the entertainment business and the animal rights movement. Located at PO Box 2454, Nevada City, CA. 95959
Phone: 800-361-8292 Web site: www.AllisonsGourmet.com
****
Comondi , located in Toronto Canada, sells only vegan products. The company owner is a vegan for 9 years. All the staff is vegan. The company has been in business for 6 months offering Vegan Cookbooks, Hemp Bags, Hemp Wallets, Bazura Bags & purses (bags made from recycled juice cartons), soaps, bath salts, shampoos, conditioners, shaving soaps, toothpaste, dishwashing liquid, recycled glassware, organic cotton towels, organic cotton sheets, organic cotton shower curtain, dog & cat collars, leashes, organic cotton baby clothes & accessories, organic cotton menstrual pads, 100% post-consumer recycled paper and envelopes, Corn pens, hemp socks, organic cotton dishcloths and cleaning cloths, loofah scrubbers, etc. Marisa King, the owner, holds a Masters in Environmental Studies with a focus on Animal/Human Relations. After reading John Robbins' "May All Be Fed: Diet for a New World" in university (a life-changing moment if ever there was one), she became vegan the very next day and started advocating for animals. Having had no idea of the cruelty inherent in the food production industry, she couldn't believe that such barbarism was allowed to take place on such a monumental scale. It soon became apparent that this was the status quo and that animals were treated as mere production units. Everywhere she looked, in every human industry, animals were abused, exploited and extinguished. Animals simply had no voice or not ones that humans would deign to listen to. After completing her Masters, Marisa cast about for ways in which to make the plight of animals more visible.
In living day-to-day life she and her vegan roommates found it difficult to procure vegan items which were also made with ecological integrity and through fair trade. They generally had to mail order from the U.S. and even then many companies didn't ship to Canada. So, the idea of starting an online vegan company in Canada took root. But their standards were very stringent...fair trade, organic if at all possible, always environmentally sound and always vegan. “There are many stores which offer environmentally friendly products but are not vegan and many other stores which offer vegan products but do not take into account the effect on the environment. Comondi recognises the links, which bind everything together and strive to carry products which do not break these links. We donate 5% of our sales (NOT just profits) to companies working towards positive change for animals and the environment. And, this year (Year of the Dog) we are also donating 15% of our sales from any dog-related products to organisations working to improve the lives of dogs (Global Action Network is our present recipient for their work in Asia)” says
Marisa. Phone: 416-537-6817 E-mail: info@comondi.com
Web site: www.comondi.com
****
VeganGoods.com was started a couple of years back after the creation of A Different Daisy on-line site. A Different Daisy offers vegan information, recipes,interviews and more! Basically, Vegan Goods is just the shopping cart extension of that site. Christi started selling products online in 1998, seeing a need for cruelty-free alternatives The store offers hundreds of vegan and cruelty-free products including cosmetics, body care items, personal care items, products specifically for women, purses, wallets, clothing, books, candles, food and sweets, chocolate, companion animal products, gifts and gift baskets, first aid, vitamins, natural therapeutics, cleaning supplies, bumper stickers and magnets. The only employee and owner, Christi, has been vegan for 6 years. “My journey to veganism began when I was a young girl, I spent the majority of my time with animals. They were my closest friends. I grew up with so many ‘pets' and had such a love for them. It wasn't until I graduated high school that I realised exactly what had to happen in order for meat to become dinner. I guess I knew what happened, but it never actually struck me. It was a huge awakening for me when I realised that I didn't have to eat meat and that I didn't have to eat dairy or eggs.
Not long after that, I discovered the horrors of animal testing and factory farming. I was disgusted with myself! Why hadn't I realised this sooner? Now, I live my life as cruelty-free as possible and do my best to promote kindness. I am much happier and healthier because of this lifestyle change.” says Christi. She adds, “I am a dedicated animal rescuer and caregiver. At present I have 19 cats and 4 dogs in my care, all homeless at one time”. Location: 10766 State Route 139, Minford, OH. 45653
Phone: (740) 820-3146 Web site: www.vegangoods.com
E-mail: differentdaisy@yahoo.com
****
KindHeartedWoman.com market only vegan products - with the exception of a case of baby rattles (bought by the non-vegan business partner that is trying to make the switch) that were coated with beeswax.
They were sold, but they were sold at a discount and clearly marked. This was an error not to be repeated. The company owner is vegan for approximately 7 years and the company has been in business since 2002. Tracey says: “All of out products are vegan. We have bath, body, hair and baby care, including imported Shea butter and African black soap. We offer a limited amount of essential oils, and other special buys. Most of our products are hand made and include: whipped body butters, lotions, hair conditioners, our own Claymazing Powder, to name a few. We also have hemp and cotton diapers and diapering supplies. Soon we will have organic clothing including vegan approved soft shoes for infants and toddlers (as an alternative to leather ones). We will also carry baby slings and vegan play- silks. We are two work-at-home mums that started the company to offer a vegan (and often organic) alternative to plastic and paper diapers and commercially available body care products. Purchases help us to stay at home and parent our children.” say Tracey McFall of Springfield, MA. There web site contains this message: “We're Animal Friendly! Animal ingredients are used not because they are better than vegetable-derived ingredients but because they are cheaper.
Slaughterhouses must dispose of bi-products from slaughter of billions of animals every year. The industry has found an easy and profitable solution; rather than pay to dispose of the waste, they sell it to cosmetics manufacturers. We do not use bees wax, honey, animal oil, wool, silk, milk, or any animal or insect derived product ever. Period. Animals are not ours to eat, wear, use, or experiment on. On their web site they list some of the reasons why they ‘choose to create their products the cruelty-free way' The site explains why it is cruel to use silk or bee products or wool. I found it very interesting and suggest a visit to their web site at www.kindheartedwomen.com
E-mail: Tracey@KindheartedWomen.com
Phone: (413) 783-4812
Leslie Bush is in Edgewood, N.M.
Phone: (505) 286-7664
E-mail: Leslie@KindheartedWomen.com
****
Bourgeois Boheme a hip on-line boutique offering approximately 300 products for both men and women. They proudly sell only vegan products. Products include: Footwear for all occasions, Boots, Bags, Purses and Wallets, Scarves/Hat/Gloves, Toiletries and Cosmetics, Jewellery, Mobile /iPod muffs and gift certificates. “Our Entire cosmetic and most of our toiletry range is BUAV (British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection) certified (they are approved under the Humane Cosmetics Standard (HCS)) and we are very shortly only to stock BUAV certified products as our commitment to end animal testing for beauty products” says the company owners.
This company that has been in business since May 2005, has two 2 employees and both are vegan; Alicia, vegetarian for 13 years, and vegan for 18 months and Van, vegetarian for 4 years, and vegan for 18 months. Alicia Lai & Van Tran, husband and wife team, decided to set up the company due to their frustration of not finding stylish vegan fashion. It took 13 years, far too long, but I felt hypocritical making a stand against animal cruelty whilst eating that slice of triple chocolate truffle cake! We want to educate consumers that their conscious choice of an ethical product will benefit not only themselves, but animals and the environment as a whole. We believe in nonviolence in all that we do: our words, actions and thoughts, and in being kind and giving respect to all living beings. Bourgeois Boheme was born in response to wanting to fulfill this philosophy and marrying this with a cruelty- free lifestyle; where style and fashion need not be sacrificed. Bourgeois Boheme is a celebration of life!”
PO BOX 54214, London W14 0SX, UK.
Phone: +44 (0) 207 602 9067 /
+44 (0) 795 1702 393
Web site: www.bboheme.com E-mail: info@bboheme.com ****
Vegan of Light is an on-line cafe press store run by a single mum, Christina Arasmoa, a vegan for 1.2 years and a vegetarian for 18 years. She became vegan from watching ‘The Peaceable Kingdom' by Tribe of Heart. She runs this store to help pay the bills, use some of the money for donations and to help with covering the time involved with vegtampabay.com; a site she designed and maintains. The store offers a wide variety of shirts with vegan or ‘don't eat animals' messages. They are conventional cotton for the most part (there's one organic choice), but they are sweat shop free. The company is just 8 months young, so if you are going to wear clothes, you might as well say something important to humanity and order a shirt or two from her online site. Web site: www.VeganOfLight.com
E-mail: peaceofmeat@veganoflight.com
****
Truth is really the name of a company, or more widely known as Truth belts. The company has been in business for 5 years and sells 100% vegan products. Truth offers belts that come in two categories; Virtue and Vice. Virtue belts are made primarily out of cotton, polyester and elastic webbing. They have a fashion forward look, are vibrant in colour and unisex. Vice belts are made from materials that look just like leather, but are not! You wouldn't be able to tell the difference! They are made from a very high quality PVC material.
The Vice belts offer styles from conservative to funky. All Vice belt have a stamp on the back that reads ‘genuine non-leather'. “I do believe that they are the best “genuine non-leather” belts in the world; as of yet I have not come across a “fake leather” belt that has the quality and longevity of a Truth belt” truthfully speaks the owner. The company also offers bags; purses, tote bags, messenger bags and bracelets. Founder Renia Pruchnicki speaks to us, “ When I started Truth, I was not a vegetarian at all! I wasn't even thinking about anything like that. My background career-wise is fashion design. When I started my own business, I chose the name Truth because I wanted a one-syllable word that had 5 letters in it (an odd number of letters is always more aesthetically pleasing) and the word Truth is so positive and beautiful – everyone can relate to it. Because I had never worked with leather, I simply used all of the technical materials that I had used in the past (cottons, polyesters and vinyls). Little did I know at the time that vegetarians and vegans would love Truth belts!
Over the years, I started doing some research on why meat is unhealthy. I suppose it was through my customers and also companies who wanted me to put a link on my web site, that I started learning about vegans and vegetarians. Early on I went cold turkey and became a vegetarian. This was not a good idea for me, as I had what I call ‘meat craving pains'. I didn't know how to properly eat a healthy vegetarian diet. So, over the years I just gradually cut meat out and eventually found that the craving for things like steak were no longer there. I haven't drunk milk for many years now – I drink rice milk, which I love. My company Truth has slowly turned me into a vegetarian!”
“Truth has not grown to the point that I can quit my day job, but I hope to get there one day.” says Renia. Perhaps we should support her and reward her for being a part of the ‘Truth' of not profiting from the exploitation of animals. Truth is located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Phone: (416) 778-1597 Main Web site: www.truthbelts.com www.vegetarianbelts.com (on-line sales) E-mail: info@truthbelts.com
****
Dank Forest online store sells all vegan products. The business was started in 1999 selling approximately 200 items, mostly apparel and accessories, made from organic hemp. The owner has been vegetarian since 1993 and started the company to better the world. Dank Forest provides environment friendly products and information for sustainable living. The company focuses its retail division on providing high quality, low cost, organic hemp products that enable customers to live an efficient and harmonious lifestyle. Being socially responsibility is the focal point of the business and that's why sweatshop labour will never be used. Dank Forest was one of the first companies to sell organic hemp merchandise to the retail market in North America.
Dank Forest - Innovations for Sustainable Living Web site: www.DankForest.com ****
Vegan.com site owned by Erik Marcus, features only vegan cookbooks and every food item the site promotes is vegan. Publisher, Erik Marcus, is a vegan of nearly 20 years. He started the site 7 years ago. Erik offers regular pod cast with Erik Marcus and various internet feeds. He became vegan because he witnessed slaughterhouse footage during freshman year of college. Erik's video on factory farming will be out in the summer of 2006.
Web site: Vegan.com
M. 'Butterflies' Katz is the co-author of Incredibly Delicious; Recipes for a New Paradigm which is published by Gentle World www.gentleworld.org
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