Introducing Market Essentials product line by Bumble Bea Green

The Market Essentials
Paper? Plastic? Neither! Sturdier, more attractive, affordable, reusable items for your grocery needs are here! Be the belle of the market, the hero of the manatees every time you use a Bumble Bea Green Market product.

To ferry your fresh produce (or for whatever else you use those plastic produce bags for), check out Produce Totes by Bumble Bea Green. Your fruits and veggies never had it so good! Gauzy cotton voile keeps your lemons looking fab and in one place!


To ferry a lot of fresh produce in your produce totes--and for the rest of your groceries--check out Market Totes by Bumble Bea Green. Whether you like your tote to be plain or funky, whimsical or lush, show off your own flavor and know you will look great--and so will your groceries--carrying this tote around!



To ferry many of your food carriers around, check out the Bea Keeper! This product is coming soon, and will feature a convenient way to store and manage all your grocery totes.

Not Just For Groceries
Of course, these bags are as beautiful as they are versatile. Use the produce totes to store your ribbon collection, or to store your jacks-and-marbles set. Use the market totes for anything you'd use a tote bag for--carrying your books; as a handy travel bag; for your sunscreen and beach towels on a hot summer day--the possibilities abound!



Every Product Has A Story...
When I began to realize just how wasteful and what a detrimental environmental impact the making, distributing, and discarding of plastic grocery bags is, I knew that I needed to make a switch. So I started looking around at fabric grocery bags. I bought some of those cheap recycled ones from various stores, I bought an extremely expensive unlined tote while on vacation, and ogled the expensive totes at REI and other places...but I didn't really find anything I fell in love with. I didn't like how floppy the totes were, and how ugly and cheap the store bags were. So I made some for myself.

And then I made some as gifts. And then people started asking me to make some for them. And then more people did and offered to pay me for my time and effort, and eventually I decided to offer these totes to any and all who had the same desires I did--for a sturdy and shapely grocery tote that wasn't too big or too small and didn't look like it fell out of the bargain bin's dumpster. Bonus points for being fabulous looking as well.

Although I'd been kicking around the idea of turning my hobby--creatively sewing--into a more widespread adventure, that was the impetus I needed, the proverbial kick-in-the-pants. I am passionate about what I do--whether sewing or hugging trees--and I wanted to offer something to the world that would make it a better place--and I truly mean that. Grocery bags seemed like a reachable ideal. I'm just one person, and I can't do everything--but I can do something.

Did you know that according to The Wall Street Journal, the U.S. goes through 100 billion plastic shopping bags annually, and that an estimated 12 million barrels of oil is required to make that many plastic bags? That's a lot of oil, and a LOT of bags. There are so very many reasons to reduce or eliminate the use of paper and plastic grocery bags, and I hope to make affordable, cute bags an option for people who desire that as well. That's why I say I'm "going green" one bag at a time, and why my subtitle talks about caring for the future. Because every time you use a reusable grocery bag--even if it's one you made out of a pillowcase--you have saved a tiny spot in a landfill somewhere, and created less demand for the plastic and oil behind the disposable ones. That's something to be proud of.

My Market Essentials line strives to meet that ideal in a beautiful and affordable way. Going green doesn't have to mean going ugly, or going without. It can truly mean going beautiful--especially with a Bumble Bea Green market tote on your arm.

Why Etsy?

When I decided to open up my ideas and handiwork to a world-wide audience, I thought long and hard about how I would present my adventure--how I would protect it and put its best foot bravely forward. Buy my own .com? eBay? a pre-made storefront? Craigslist?

After sorting through these ideas, the one venue that stayed consistently at the top of the list was Etsy. I decided to open my shop through Etsy for many reasons, some of which I will share with you:

1. Ease of Use
Etsy is easy to use for both me, as a seller, and you, as a buyer. It offers many protections and options for me, there is no monthly maintenance fee--only a small listing fee and a small percentage of profit. It offers many protections and options for buyers as well. In some ways, it's basically eBay for handmade items, and in other ways, it's not. Just like eBay, I list items for sale and you choose items to buy. Again, small listing fee for me, no fees for you. Just like eBay, you need an account to use its services whether a buyer or a seller. Unlike eBay, my listings don't expire after a short amount of time (incurring more costs to relist) and while they are not up for auction, I haven't marked up a "buy it now" price in hope that someone will really want or need it and just click that "buy it now" button rather than waiting for an auction. And unlike eBay, Etsy is a community...more about that later. Bottom line-the buying and selling process on Etsy is easy, affordable, and safe.

2. Etsy is comprised of men and women passionately pursuing their talents
If you've got it, USE it! I am someone who believes in the beauty of art and the power of creation. I believe in music programs and museums. And I love that there is a place for someone to pursue their art or their handiwork at their own pace, in their own style, as much or as little as they want. Whether taking a fun hobby and occasionally offering the fruits of that labor for a little extra cash or a more serious bread-winning endeavor, I like that I am supporting an entity that enables those people without being greedy.

3. Etsy is more than a website; it is a community
When I list an item in my shop or buy an item from someone else, I feel good that I am putting my money and effort where my mouth is. I firmly believe in local economies and supporting them as well as supporting cottage industries. For stay-at-home moms like me, I may not be in it to get rich and famous, but it's nice to have that extra bit to ease the pressure on the breadwinner--even if it's just enough for some gas and an ice cream treat. I am becoming very picky about what I buy and where I buy it from, so buying something from a fellow seller is a real boon. I'd rather buy a hand-made coaster from someone who makes coasters because she loves it and is talented at it than buy a coaster made in a sweatshop in a third-world country. I believe in fair trade; you couldn't trade fairer than putting the money directly in the hands of the artisan as Etsy has done.

So there you have it. Locally, you may find me in a farmers market. Always, you will find me at bumblebeagreen@gmail.com and online, you will find my home at http://bumblebeagreen.etsy.com :)