A world away: Local seller importing goods from Third World countries

As many of us ransack our closets searching for something to wear to work, most of us are unaware of where are clothes are made or the conditions under which they are produced. However, for Collin County resident Karen Piggins, the country of origin and working conditions of her products are very clear.

Although it may be a family business, Karen Piggins has made a name for herself while helping women a world away. Piggins and her family have been in business for more than 20 years and through their imports have been changing the lives of women and children they have never met.

"It began when my sister, Rhonda Piggins, joined the Peace Corps and was stationed in the Dominican Republic," Piggins said. "She was exposed to several women who were being mistreated and were also poverty-stricken. We decided as a family to get involved in the co-ops and what we do is go to Third World countries find these co-ops, and we buy a product from the co-op."

A co-op is an organization owned by a group of people for their mutual benefit. A fair-trade agreement with the co-op was put into place by Piggins and her family.

"We pay them fair wages for what they are doing," Piggins said. "It's really important because there's things going on and a lot of people try to take advantage of these women in other countries. There are also child-labor issues."

Piggins said she had found the balance between doing what she loves and helping others.

"After seeing other people in other countries and their limited resources, we felt like we had a lot more than they did, and we needed to give a little bit of what we had," Piggins said. "It's been a struggle."

After working with her family for 20 years, Piggins branched off and currently owns Body Harmony, which specializes in soaps and body products but also sells handbags and baskets made by the women at the co-op.

"I've made a lot of sacrifices, but the payoff has been great," Piggins said. "The payoff has been watching these women, particularly in Africa, that are survivors of war or single parents. These are people that live in poverty-stricken areas, and my payoff is to see that the one particular co-op that we work with helps 352 women in Ghana."

A longtime Plano resident, Piggins, along with her children, grew up in the Plano school system. She said her driving force is four children.

"I've raised four kids on my own and I was to kind of get a feel of how corporate America works - even though I was raised to be an entrepreneur," Piggins said. "However, I saw the struggle there and I knew that no matter what I did in corporate America, it was never going to support my kids the way I wanted to."

Piggins imports from Cambodia, India, Madagascar and Ethiopia.

"It has been a humbling experience to see other people that have less than I do more than what I do with what I have," Piggins said.

"There is a big lesson here: be grateful for what God has given you, and use it to produce something else," she said. "If I can walk through this life and know that I have helped someone, then I feel like my purpose has been fulfilled."

Although her focus has recently been on women in Third World countries, Piggins said she had the ability to help women in her own neighborhood.

"I am able to encourage and help other people start their own business and prepare their business plans for free," Piggins said. "The whole theme of what I am doing is 'paying it forward.' By chance, someone might see what's going on and might be encouraged to do the same. I really want to give back to the community."

For information about Body Harmony or to contact Karen Piggins, visit bodyharmonyproducts.com.

Current Rating: 0 of 0 votes!

Rate File: Select Rating: * ** *** ****

 Plano Apartments
 Plano Attorneys
 Plano Auto Dealers
 Plano Auto Parts
 Plano Auto Repair
 Plano Beauty Salons
 Plano Car Rental
 Plano Dentists
 Plano Doctors
 Plano Flowers
 Plano Hotels
 Plano Insurance
 Plano Loans
 Plano Mortgages
 Plano Movers
 Plano Pizza
 Plano Realtors
 Plano Restaurants
 Plano Storage
 Plano Tax Preparation
 Plano Travel
 Featured
 More...