Spreading Awareness.

Slavery isn't dead. It is present and real throughout the world including here in the United States. The federal and state laws before were not aware or had no desire to stop the trafficking that was occurring, but today, more states are stepping up to the plate and more people are realizing that human trafficking is occurring in their city and state.

What can we do? At first, the task to help may seem daunting. What can one voice do in a sea of millions trapped in bondage? For Autumn House, we have started small by donating 10% of our funds to an organization to combat domestic trafficking, but we want to continue to grow to the point where we can donate 50%. Donations are not the only option, though. Help is needed and awareness to the community should be spread. There are many organizations, projects, and petitions that you can jump on board with. If one wants to get really involved, see if there are local organizations combating trafficking in your area. Know what to look for, as well. Research and know the signs for trafficking or place where people are being trafficked. Get involved, spread the word and encourage others to rise up and help in whatever way they can.

Here are a few organizations to look into to begin helping end trafficking.
The Polaris Project- Dedicated to helping survivors, creating trafficking hotline, and much more.
Not For Sale- Focusing on slavery around the world, Not for Sale's goal is to create a world free of slavery.
GEMS- The organization we support, GEMS provides services for survivors in New York as well as spreading awareness across the United States.

There are many more organizations and ways to help. Find out what you can do, and get involved. Let's start spreading awareness.

A New Act, A New Hope

As a vintage shop, we want to provide the most unique and beautiful items to our customers. We also want to do more than just sell vintage which is why we donate 10% of every purchase to G.E.M.S, Girls Educational Mentoring Service. This organization was founded in New York City in 1998 by Rachel Lloyd who as a teenager was commercially sexually exploited. 

G.E.M.S strives to make known the issues of domestic trafficking and sexual exploitation in New York and the states. They are committed to ending sexual exploitation and domestic trafficking of women and children by changing individual lives, transforming public perception, and revolutionizing the systems and policies that impact sexually exploited youth. A great step toward this goal was taken yesterday with the renewing of an political act. 

President Obama signing act. 

It was a day of excitement and celebration as a new act was signed by President Obama, The Violence Against Women Act. This act was originally put forth in 1994 but in 2011 fell by the wayside and was not renewed until yesterday. This act empowers victims of sexual and domestic violence across the United States. It gives them rights in the law as well as access to programs and victim assistant services. 

This is the beginning of a long road towards empowering victims of domestic and sexual violence and to one day end sexual exploitation and domestic trafficking in the United States.

For more information on G.E.M.S. and to support their movement click HERE. 
For more facts about the Violence Against Women Act, click HERE.

Simple Leaves of Paper

We take pride in the items we have from our shop. From swap meets to local thrift shops, we search for unique, lost items and bring them to you. We take our time with the pictures, but we also take our time with packaging. Every purchase is important to us, and we show this with our simple but personal wrapping.

Item ready for shipping.

Remember the days when brown paper packages would come in the mail? Every time you buy from us, you will to be taken back to simple times of brown paper and carefully made products. Every item we post is cleaned as best as it can be without ruining the product. If it is breakable or needs cushioning, we encase the item in soft cotton for shipping. A simple brown tag with our name and a thank you for supporting GEMS is then placed around your purchase. The item is finally wrapped in recycled brown paper and tied with jute cord. This gives a simple but personal feel to this item. 

Autumn leaves added to every package.

When you receive your package, we want you to be excited and delighted with your beautiful products. As you open it, you will see that paper autumn leaves have been sprinkled around your items. 

Our favorite stamp.

 We hope you love it and continue to support GEMS as they fight to end human trafficking in the United States.

Very Young Girls

As a new shop, we would normally display our products and finds. We will in future posts, but for this first post, we would like to share this video from the documentary Very Young Girls. This documentary was produced by GEMS and is a must see for anyone who wants to understand more about sex trafficking in the United States. We were inspired by this documentary to connect with GEMS and support their mission to end human trafficking.

Redeeming Vintage. Restoring Lives.

I saw a picture of a girl. She was standing outside with an adult who was forcing her into prostitution. She was four, one of many women and children forced into the sex industry. I was devastated. It drove me to research human trafficking, and I discovered the documentary Very Young Girls created by GEMS.

GEMS is an organization located in New York city and founded by survivor Rachel Lloyd. They do not just combat sexual exploitation and domestic trafficking but work to empower survivors through education, housing, and counseling.

My husband and I wanted to find a way to support GEMS. We love vintage and fell in love with the Etsy community. It became clear starting an Etsy vintage business was the solution. We chose the name Autumn House because it represents change and the coming of new things. For us, our vintage items are the start of something new for the survivors we are helping. Every item in the store has been redeemed from thrift stores, flea markets and storage units and made beautiful.

Our mission with Autumn House is to make all things new. We want to see Autumn House grow and blossom beyond capacity, so that we can support GEMS and their goal to end the commercial sexual exploitation of children.


Find out more about GEMS here.