A Different Way to Shop

There are very few things I will spend more that $50 on.

You'll never see me hand off that much cash for a haircut, a purse, a pair of jeans and especially not shoes. Yet, I have four pairs of Toms. So why have I been keen to spend my hard-earned money on these simple forms of footwear? Because they aren't just shoes.

Worn with love 

I fell in love with the idea and brand of Toms a couple of years ago. I greatly admire the creative and cause-focused mind of founder Blake Mycoskie and have enjoyed watching him take his revolutionary brand to new heights with the expansion of Toms Eyewear and now the Toms Marketplace.

Yesterday Toms revealed their new collaboration with like-minded cause-based brands. Toms, a company driven from the beginning by their goal to give One for One, has now provided a platform for 30 other entrepreneurial businesses dedicated to creating products with purpose.

Through creation of the marketplace, Toms, a highly popular and recognizable brand, is able to bring attention to amazing brands that many may have never heard of before. Toms is also offering free shipping on any marketplace product with the purchase of Toms shoes or eyewear. The marketplace includes some of my favorite brands such as 31 Bits, Krochet Kids, Della and more. The simple purchase of these products bring aid and awareness to everything from hunger and clean water, to reforestation and economic opportunity.

As someone who passionately believes in the possibility of creating change outside the realm of traditional non-profit organizations, the Toms Marketplace is a huge step in opening new ways of giving and increasing the ways we can improve lives through conscious consumerism.

Research studies have shown that upward of 55% of US consumers shop online during the holidays. The Toms Marketplace is allowing those consumers to do more with their purchases. It is giving them the opportunity to change lives. So for this "What Can I Do?" Wednesday I invite you to shop around, remember that you do have the power to change the world, and it starts with ideas like these.

Shop the new Toms Marketplace here.