Owner of Oakwood fair trade shop on mission to connect global communities

Woodruff’s previous career was in nonprofit work, with a master’s degree in Nonprofit Management. A study abroad in Peru opened her eyes to the power of economic impact when artisans are paid fairly for their work. “My capstone project for grad school was doing a board development plan for a Quechua-led organization, a school they had started in their community as a response to the racism their kids face in the public school system, and to preserve their culture.” A transformative experience, she realized how burnt out she was by the nonprofit industry, and decided to quit her job in search of a more fulfilling career.

As fate would have it, a friend who owns the children’s store Samozrejme in Troy called to tell her about an empty space across the street. “She said, ‘I know you had talked about opening your own store some day,’ and thankfully she said, ‘You’re never going to have time and money, you have to just do it.’ So I did.” She opened Pachamama Market in Troy in 2015. Pachamama is the Mother Earth goddess revered by the indigenous peoples of the Andes.

Eventually Woodruff outgrew the space in Troy, and in January 2022 relocated to Oakwood with her family, opening Maraluna in the retail strip of the Oakwood Village. “It was the craziest two months of my life,” she says of the double move. “We changed the name (from Pachamama) because unless I have the time and platform to really talk about the impact that my time working with Quechua communities in Peru had on me and my entire life path, it can seem like an appropriation. I don’t want people to think that it’s OK to just use that name rather than in honor and gratitude to the Quechua people who really taught me about the impact of colonization.”

MOVE TO WAKE

“I usually wake up between 6 and 6:30. I’ll try to either go for a walk or ride the stationary bike for about a half hour to help me wake up. Then I’ll have my coffee.”

FAMILY RHYTHM

“My 14-year-old is in high school so I make sure she gets out the door on time. She’ll ride her bike to school. My 12-year-old homeschools and doesn’t usually get out of bed until 8 or 8:30. I’ll just take that time to have coffee, read a little bit, eat some breakfast. Usually around 9, I’ll check in with my 12-year-old to make sure they know what they need to do for homeschool for the day. When we lived in Troy, the kids went to a Montessori school and so they’re very good at working independently. When we moved and transitioned to public school, Mara did great and Leona wanted to work at their own pace.”

SHARING STORIES

“If I’m working from home, I’ll go to my home office and spend the morning updating inventory, putting in purchase orders, planning social media content for the week. If I’m working at the store, I ride my bike and get the store open by 10. I try to work (at the store) two days a week, because I like being here. I love touching the products and talking to the customers and sharing the stories. But it’s very hard to run the business and be here. I need to run payroll, write the schedule, things like that.”

CONSCIENTIOUSLY CURATED

Previously a grant writer, Woodruff is talented with a mission statement. “We’re a conscientiously curated shop dedicated to connecting global communities through ethical and sustainable goods that nourish the soul. Everything here feels good and comforting because it was made in a just, transparent way. We carry fair trade goods from about 40 different countries. We specifically work with artists who have been marginalized from their economic system as a result of colonialism. That includes artists who have been marginalized in the United States through racism and homophobia.”

Credit: Contributed

Credit: Contributed

MOMAGER

Woodruff’s mother walks into the shop. “I call her my momager. She’s the shop manager, but she’s also my mom. She and I went to Ghana together in 2018 to visit some of the groups we work with there. We learned how to batik fabric.” The curtains to the shop’s dressing rooms were made in this wax-resist technique by Woodruff’s mom. “I’m so thankful for my momager because she has taken over the bookkeeping and adding new items into inventory. Those were very time consuming tasks.”

FAIR TRADE FEDERATION

As for the products she carries, Woodruff is excited about the earring selection, the Nepalese felt flowers and her Annual Fair Trade Rug Event, showcasing handmade rugs by Pakistani company Bunyaad who “work with artists who are also subsistence farmers and brickmakers, in 30 different communities throughout Pakistan to make hand-knotted rugs. We shove everything up against the walls and they bring about 400 rugs.”

“We’re members of the Fair Trade Federation. We’re a community of Fair Trade wholesalers, retailers and businesses. A lot of what I find is through them. We’re a very tight-knit community so I can say, hey has anybody found baskets from Rwanda that you’re in love with, or, I’m looking for more size inclusive clothing to add, and we help each other out.”

CHECKING IN

“I take a break around 2 or 3 when my kids are wrapping up school for the day. We’ll check in and take a break together.” Her husband, who is a research technician at the University of Dayton Research Institute, gets home around 5 p.m.

CLASSIC COCKTAIL

“We always cook dinner together every night. That’s our time to get together, talk about our day, have a cocktail and then cook. I love a classic cocktail like a Whiskey Sour or Vodka Gimlet. My 14-year-old is Gluten Free, and my 12-year-old is just picky, so we do a lot of build-your-own burrito bowls. I’ve been on a fish taco kick lately.”

FAMILY TIME

“After dinner we’ll spend family time together, playing a board game or watching a movie. When the kids are in their wind-down time getting ready for bed, I’ll hop back on my computer and do another hour or so of work.”

LESS, BUT BETTER

“I have to read for at least two hours before I go to sleep. Right now I’m reading ‘All In’ by Simona Ahrnstedt. It’s a Swedish romance (laughs). My favorite book blog is about romance but from a very smart, feminist perspective (laughs again). The other book I’m reading is ‘Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less’ by Greg McKeown. It’s about doing less, but better.”

“I’m essentially fighting against the capital system by buying and selling things. You can’t buy and sell your way out of climate change, systemic racism, or centuries of colonialism. What we can do is buy less, but invest in better systems, products, things that are going to last you for decades, so you don’t have to get caught up in this constant cycle.”

THE PARTICULARS

Maraluna is located at 2504 Far Hills Avenue in Oakwood. The shop can be reached at 937-552-9466 with more info at shopmaraluna.com and on Instagram @shopmaraluna. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Saturday, and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday.