Hempy's:
HEMPY'S is an American manufacturer and worldwide distributor of clothing and accessories made from sustainable materials including hemp, organic cotton, recycled cotton and recycled synthetics. We work primarily with small, family-owned sewing contractors in our local San Diego region. We monitor our contractors to ensure that workers' rights are respected and quality standards are met. HEMPY'S eco-friendly American-made products also protect jobs for American workers and help stimulate the domestic economy.

Queen Bee Creations:
In 1995, I designed a vinyl wallet for myself, which is now called the Wonder Wallet--that was the beginning of Queen Bee. I photocopied a very crude but cute mail-order catalog that I sent out to a handful of people.

I remember thinking, "It would be so great if just a few stores would want to carry Queen Bee." We began selling wholesale to a couple boutiques and now sell to stores in most states in the country as well as overseas. What began as a little cut-and-paste catalog enterprise has blossomed into a retail and wholesale endeavor that sells unique handmade accessories to folks worldwide.

Luckily, Redd came around in 2000 and volunteered to help me with my burgeoning business for a few hours a week. Now we run the show together as business partners with lots of help from five great employees--three sewers, a production assistant, and a shipping and customer service maven. We take pride in sewing and finishing, in-house, all the products that we sell--that is rare these days! We put a tremendous amount of time, care and creativity into everything we make and do. To see photos of us in action, visit our Web site. Thanks for supporting our small business.

--Rebecca Pearcy, founder, designer and co-owner, Queen Bee Creations

Splaff:
Splaff Flopps started in a garage in 1997 with a tire, a bike tube and a shoe knife. The vision was to make comfortable, long-lasting, fairly priced sandals from recycled materials. Today Splaff Flopps are handcrafted in California with the same integrity. The soles are made with recycled car tires, the straps are made with used bicycle inner tubes, the footbed covering and strap linings are made with hemp fabric, and the mid-sole is made with regupol (a cushioned material made from used tires that have been chipped and pressed into mats). Splaff Flopps are produced in a 100 percent waste-free process in which all leftover materials are either reused or recycled.

Our commitment to the environment and the consumer is genuine. No shortcuts have been taken. We collect, sort, cut and clean the recycled tires and bicycle inner tubes ourselves to guarantee the quality of these recycled materials.

Splaff Flopps are field-tested by surfers who virtually live in their flip flops and often own no other footwear. In order to gain approval among the surfing community, we had to develop sandals that were both strong and comfortable. Splaff Flopps are available with either an exposed black recycled rubber footbed or with an additional layer of natural colored hemp covering the footbed. Both versions use hemp in the strap linings and are equally comfortable. The black recycled rubber footbed is waterproof, slip resistant and odorless.