Sign of the Times: Cadeaux du Monde Moves Biz to the Web

Technological advances have made it easier than ever for artisans to sell their creations to consumers all over the world. Katie Dyer, a well-established local fair trade dealer, has been working to bring those international handcrafts to the steps of Newporters for nearly 25 years.

Now, the technology that has facilitated fair trade for Dyer has made it possible for her to move her entire operation online. Dyer's Mary Street store, , held its final sale on Sunday, shutting its doors to the public for good around 6 p.m. From here on out, all of the eclectic wares that Cadeaux du Monde is known for will be sold exclusively on eBay.

"It's a good time," Dyer said. "It's a transition."

A number of factors influenced her decision to close the brick-and-mortar operation, but Dyer stresses that financial woes weren't at fault. That said, she does point to the state's post-Station Night Club fire code regulations for making it prohibitively expensive to run a business inside a historic property.

"It just doesn't make sense," she said, noting that it would've cost her nearly $15,000 to bring her 26 Mary Street location up to commercial code. "We got flagged, and there's all these historic buildings right in the neighborhood that are going to have to be coded for fire, and it's very expensive and most aren't going to be able to do it."

The alternative, Dyer said, is to put the property back to full-residential use. So for now, she and her partner will begin making upgrades to the Victorian house and will make it their home until the market improves to sell it.

As someone who is passionate about , Dyer said she thinks that devoting more of her time to business online will be a good thing. It'll allow her to focus her energy on educating an even larger base of consumers about the benefits of supporting village-based art. Those who appreciate Dyer's efforts can follow them closely on Facebook, Twitter, Wordpress, and of course, CadeauxduMonde.com.