By: Ashlee Irons
Posted In: News
Photo credit: Ashlee Irons
Katie Dyer and Jane Perkins of Newport are travel connoisseurs. The mother-daughter pair shares ownership of Cadeaux du Monde, the only alternative trading organization in Newport. Alternative trade organizations allow for developing nations to grow without losing sight of their culture heritage.
By purchasing the handcrafted items, consumers spread global awareness and become informed of the particular craftsmen’s culture. Cadeaux du Monde is located at 26 Mary Street, in Newport. The distinctive yellow and blue building is as intriguing from the outside as inside and prepares the curious shopper for the unique items offered from around the world. Dyer and Perkins sell handmade products from artisans in various developing nations including Africa, Asia, Central and South America and the Caribbean. Perkins’s husband was in the Navy, and the two moved all over the country. Both Perkins and Dyer have been traveling for many years and through experiencing other cultures, have gained a greater appreciation for learning and folk art around the world. Perkins received a certificate in Business at Peace College in Raleigh and later attended the University of Rhode Island. Dyer graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in theatre arts and a minor in math. After college she joined the Peace Corps and taught high school math in the Central African Republic for two years. Dyer is also fluent in French and Sango. Both Perkins and Dyer are multicultural education teachers, lecturers and small business consultants. Q: WHAT DOES CADEAUX DU MONDE MEAN? Dyer: “It’s French, and means gifts of the world or world gifts because artwork is the artists’ gift to the world.” Q: HOW MANY YEARS HAVE YOU BEEN IN BUSINESS? Dyer: “This is our 19th year, we opened in 1987. This is our fourth location we opened the Mary Street store in 2001.” Q: YOUR PAMPHLETS SAID YOUR INSPIRATION FOR THE STORE CAME FROM EXTENSIVE TRAVELS. WHERE DID THEY BEGIN? HOW DID YOU GET STARTED? Perkins: “In 1960, I married a naval officer and we lived all over this country and I joined him overseas in Europe and Katie was in the Peace Core in the Central African Republic.” Q: HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED IN THE PEACE CORE? Dyer: “It was something I’d always wanted to do, go to Africa and travel. College was so self-involved. It lets you focus on other people. I applied my senior year of college. It’s a wonderful opportunity. You can defer your student loans while you’re there. You live in another country and get to be a part of a new community, culture and language. I lived in two different villages for two years.” Q: YOU MUST TAKE PRIDE IN BEING NEWPORT’S ONLY ALTERNATIVE TRADING ORGANIZATION. COULD YOU EXPLAIN A LITTLE MORE ABOUT WHY YOU CHOSE THIS FORM OF BUSINESS? Dyer: “It was an ethical choice. We decided when we first stated the business that we wanted to do a business that was travel related and art focused as well…We wanted to do folk art because we felt that then the artisan would feel if they could be economically viable works of art then they would want to pass them down to the next generation. Where a lot of countries, Singapore is one of them, which has lost a lot of their heritage. By cutting out the middle man and being the importer, seller and retailer then all these layers are cut out so we could pay a higher price to the artist, pay them what they consider their fair price, and deliver it to the customer at very affordable price. We also wanted to help keep cultural heritage alive, and encourage the development of education. We actually travel to check labor conditions as well.” Q: THE COLORS OF YOUR BUILDING DEFINITELY CAUGHT MY EYE. DID YOU PAINT IT YOURSELVES? Perkins: “Yes. And it is historically correct. It matches these three stained glass windows we have two in the hallway and one upstairs on the second floor that are the blue and the yellow and those are original to the building.” Dyer: “And then we went to the historical society to research colors that were in production at the time the building was done and this is what you call an exotic revival Swiss chalet style building.” Q: HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHERE TO TRAVEL? Perkins: “We try to go to places that have products that are interesting to me which is what you have to do to stay in business. And we look at areas that have a rich culture heritage that are rich in folk art.” Dyer: “We always go for the unusual you’re not going to see what we have anywhere.” Q: DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE PLACE TO DO BUSINESS? Perkins: “You know I’ve been so many places I can’t say I have any favorites. We find that in West Africa people are still living traditionally and they still have mask cultures. They have secret societies of men and they’re the ones that are the mask dancers.” Q: CURRENTLY, YOU ARE USING A PORTION OF YOUR GALLERY FOR A SILENT ART AUCTION AND EXHIBIT BENEFIT FOR “THE TOMORROW FUND,” A LOCAL NON PROFIT AND THAYER SCHLEGEL, A 2-YEAR-OLD NEWPORT RESIDENT WHO WAS BATTLING CANCER. HOW LONG HAS THE GALLERY BEEN RUNNING? HAS IT BEEN A SUCCESS? Dyer: “The event has gone well; it began back in November, with over 70 works donated by local artists. It turned into a memorial benefit with the possibility of an annual event. The cause touched everybody, no one said no to helping out. The gallery continue to go through February 7.”
