Shop with Purpose at Made to Love

Posted on Jan 11

Building hope, creating opportunities, and spreading lots of love.

Downtown Hamilton is full of beautiful shops with all kinds of local goods, but one shop in particular gets their products from a bit further away... Made to Love is dedicated to offering only handmade Haitian products. Their vision, passion and overall mission ties right back into their name, Made to Love, by focusing on creating educational and career opportunities to the people of Haiti. The difference they have made in the past decade is truly astounding.

The Story Behind The Mission

In 2010, a group of friends— Shari Miller, Tony and Christin Harris— traveled to Haiti on a mission trip after the catastrophic earthquake that devastated the country. Little did they know this one trip would inspire a much larger initiative.

The goal started out simple, they wanted to help send kids in Haiti to school. They began by creating and selling t-shirts at craft shows, until eventually they had raised enough money to create an educational fund. However, it didn't take long for the three of them to realize that they could extend their reach so much more.

"Our journeys - physical and spiritual - made it clear that where there was opportunity, there would be hope. And, where there was hope, there were dreams. And, where there were dreams, there would be a future for a community to be sustainable and self-sufficient," — Made to Love

The goal became less about sending funds, and more about helping to create opportunity and generational-growth. This new vision of providing love and support to help foster new opportunities led them to the name, Made to Love.

Creating Opportunities

100% of the profits at Made to Love are donated, going towards creating educational opportunities for Haitian children. The shop sells a variety of handmade Haitian goods that are purchased from local artisans, markets and co-ops. This goes full circle by also creating long-term, sustainable employment for people in Haiti.

For the past six years, the team at Made to Love has returned to Haiti in order to form relationships and better understand the culture and needs of the community.

"Education Can Change the World" T-Shirts

Made to Love has worked with Charye Village Leader, Estime Odilon, to build schools in the village for over 300 kids. He is also the leader of OCDM (Organisation De Devloppement Contre La Misere)— a Haitian organization that works with educational development, agriculture and reforestation.

Alongside handmade goods, Made to Love also sells a clothing line of t-shirts and hoodies. Some of which have the slogan, Education Can Change the World, printed on the front.

Shop with Purpose

The Made to Love team says the backbone of their organization are their many wonderful artisans and partners— everything you'll find in their shop is sourced directly.

One example is jewelry from Beljoy. This distinct line of handcrafted jewelry is produced in Haiti and the US by local artisans, helping men and women of Haiti to earn a consistent wage, as well as helping the organization build homes for women and children.

In addition to beautiful handmade jewelry, Made to Love carries products like baby items, accessories, purses, candles, soaps, and coffee.

Their line of coffee, Singing Rooster, is fresh gourmet coffee blends that directly support small producers in Haiti. If you are a coffee drinker, this is a highly recommended product by the team at Made to Love.

Specifically during the holidays, Made to Love offers a beautiful selection of handmade ornaments and art. Each piece is completely unique made from materials like metal and wood combined intricate details from organizations like 2nd Story Goods and Three Cords.

You can check out a list of Made to Love's partners here.

Ways to Help

The number one way to help support Made to Love and their mission is by visiting their shop and spreading the word. You can also head to their website and shop online for a large selection of different products.

However, we highly recommend visiting the shop while in town. Made to Love often refreshes their inventory with new products and styles, and their front window displays are always an additional treat. Team member Jennifer creates beautiful changing displays that are worth some time to admire.