We are far from the first individual to utter a phrase to the tune of “if there isn’t enough room at the table, it is time to build a larger table” and I presume we shan’t be the last. Jealousy, gatekeeping and greed to name a few of the lesser desirable traits of the human condition will not disappear overnight.

Muhammad Ali was quoted for saying: “If you are more fortunate than others, build a longer table, not a taller fence.” Chef José Andrés frequently uses the phrase about building “longer tables, not higher walls”. So long as the more caustic human traits flourish, there will always be a need for like minded individuals seeking to tear down institutions of oppression, systems that promote inequality, constructs that would see people homeless and starved before paying people a living wage and the list goes on.

The unfortunate nature of the human condition, is even amongst those that have similar goals, shit has a way of breaking down into factions, clicks, the diaspora wars. We all individually have battles to wage in every direction just to survive, why would we make things harder on ourselves and each other by fighting the battles for the oligarchs by trying to keep each other down? You may be wondering, why so deep? Insert a massive fucking sigh here. Call me/us naive but we found that level of discord and malice in a place we least expected.

Markets are designed to escape the forced corporate driven consumerism by encouraging a community come together as vendors and neighbors looking for goods away from the big retail chains. Something bespoke and unique, something without all of the corner cutting where the bottom line is the only line, somewhere where you can meet the hands that pour the love, care, blood, sweat and tears into the item you felt drawn to. A place we were can learn together and grow together. A place where despite our many differences, we find our commonalities. A place we are reminded that we are neighbors, a community forged from so many diverse backgrounds, with an array of varying lived experiences and perspectives. A place that reminds us we have more in common than we do differences.

Market goers walk into a bustling environment full of vendors and artisans with their wares to sell. There may be seven different jewelry artisans or soap makers or bakers but each one puts their own unique spin on their product. Therefore what speaks to one person may not to another and that is okay. If I sell a bar of soap, that doesn’t mean I took a sale from another soap maker. It means I earned their business by having a product that called to them. The very next person that walks by may not be drawn to my booth but may find themselves in another soap makers booth absolutely smitten by their offerings. Or our candles, incense, newly released laundry line and the list goes on.

For example, something as intimate as scent profiles are extremely unique to every individual. I can absolutely LOVE the smell of patchouli and the person next to me can be repulsed by it. In fact, during the year that we did the bulk of the product testing, it was something we not only found enjoyable but also insightful. We wouldn’t tell anyone what was in a new bar of soap, candle or a whipped body butter/lotion and instead would ask them what it smelled like to them, what aromatic notes stood out, what it reminded them of or what words came to mind. And seldom did any two people have the same line of thought, bring up the same scent, etc. It is one of the biggest reasons why it doesn’t offend us if someone simply doesn’t like an aroma in one of our products and it is also one of the larger reasons we create scent profiles that don’t even call to us and yet one week that is one that flies off the metaphorical and literal shelves. Add to that our individual body chemistry, we like for people to try certain products to ensure that they like the way that products interacts with that unique final ingredient, which is the end client.

Truthfully, I could find a million ways to say the words that you could have a market full of vendors specifically for the exact same category of product and unleash a crowd on that market and you will not find that a single vendor that can satisfy the needs or wants of every single person. Just as every person there, if going purely by what works for them individually would end up at different businesses. That is what is beautiful about humanity. Someone may be head of heels for some Esotérika incense and whipped lotion/body butters and yet simply find that they are more drawn to another vendor’s soap and candles.

I guess if there was a moral to the story it would be if another vendor earning a sale threatens you, then you are your own problem. If your success is predicated on tearing someone else down, you need to take a long, hard look in the mirror and ask yourself if you even deserve success. If you feel there is no more room at the table, it isn’t the person needing the seat that is the issue. The issue is we need to build a larger table.

It is time to stop thinking and playing small. That larger table is the unspoken core to our purposed powered Magic with a Mission mindset. Because: What if every single item you purchased supported the earth and/or our fellow humans?

And call me crazy but what if we stop waiting for the billionaire class to carve off some crumbs while we all sit on the floor without a seat? What if we just put our heads together and started the work of inclusivity?