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Our Values

Where you choose to spend your money is important, and we deeply appreciate when you choose to support Fancy Tiger Crafts. We want you to know where your money is going and who it is going to support. Here are our values, missions, and goals.

Vision Statement: To inspire people to reach their crafting potential through modern and sustainable supplies and quality instruction. We believe that making things by hand makes people feel better and that if more people made things, the world would be a better place.

Our aim is to be a leader in the world of independent craft retailers, to kindly and enthusiastically encourage crafters of all levels and backgrounds, to support local and quality craft-supply makers, to provide a wealth of knowledge to customers, and to provide a sustainable, rewarding, and fun work environment. We make a conscious effort to support and work with companies that make social accountability and environmental sustainability a top priority in their production chains. We aim to support the local and regional economy whenever possible.

        Social Policies

        • welcome all regardless of race, gender and gender expression, sexual orientation, religion, ability, size, or age
        • host a free, community craft night that's open to all (check events calendar to see when the next one is scheduled as COVID has changed their frequency)
        • create jobs in Denver that pay employees at or above living wage and include health benefits, PTO and matching 401k
        • offer paid volunteer hours to employees to the organization of their choosing
        • subsidize public transportation for employees
        • work with local organizations and businesses to teach, demonstrate, and educate about crafts; past organizations include: Museum of Contemporary Art, Denver Art Museum, Denver Public Library, Denver Botanic Gardens, Arvada Center for the Arts, Clyfford Still Museum, Horseshoe Market, and Denver Milk Market
        • donate 10% of sales from certain Fridays to non-profits (over $12,000 in less than 3 years) for Feel Good Fridays; past organizations include: Black Vision Collective, the Bail Project, Raices Texas, ACLU, National Parks Foundation, Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund, Malala Fund, Dig Deep, Women’s Homeless Initiative, and Standing Rock

        Environmental Policies

        • maintain membership of Certifiably Green Denver
        • use, in our shipping department, 
          • plant derived/compostable tapes and adhesives; 
          • low-impact, water-based inks;
          • and recycled, recyclable, and compostable packaging made in the USA, including boxes made locally in Louisville, CO
        • use, in our pattern/product packaging, recycled paper and water-based, plant-derived inks
        • use earth-friendly cleaning supplies, recycled paper products, reusable (vs disposable) cleaning tools in our daily operations
        • use 100% wind-energy power, water-conserving faucets, and low-energy lighting
        • donate usable scraps to local, non-profit organizations
        • recycle cardboard, glass, plastic, aluminum, batteries, light bulbs and electronics
        • reuse or recycle packaging from received goods whenever possible
        • practice bagless retail (since 2013)
        • stock products with an emphasis on sustainability, eco- and/or socially conscious missions
        • 2019 member of 1% For The Planet, donated 1% of gross sales (over $15k) to non-profits benefitting the earth and helping to stop climate change

        Anti-Racism Action Plan

        We believe Black Lives Matter. We believe we have a role to play to dismantle white supremacy and the systems that perpetuate it in order to help create the equitable world we want to live in. We are committed to the following actions and principals:

        • to employ a racially diverse staff.
        • to highlight makers of color in our social media and on our blog.
        • to donate 5% of our yearly profit to non-profits that empower the Black community.
        • to actively seek out and stock products from BIPOC-owned businesses and designers. As of Summer 2020, 10% of products sold are of BIPOC-owned companies. Our goal is to bring that up to at least 15% of products. We will take this on as a marker for us to achieve and exceed. 
        • in order to challenge the inherent inequalities promoted by capitalism, we have transitioned Fancy Tiger into an employee-owned cooperative.
        • to challenge white-supremicist systems of hierarchy, we have re-organized our company without managers, instead creating a collaborative system of committees. 
        • to create a work environment that encourages diversity and is inclusive.
        • to ensure the values of the companies we carry align with ours. 
        • to educate ourselves and support our staff in anti-racism education and action. 
          • We have created an anti-racism library that is available to staff.
          • In 2019 we hired Nicole Taylor, a local Black/Latinx diversity and inclusion trainer to lead an employee meeting and a one-day staff retreat dedicated to this work. 
          • Moving forward we will host annual events with staff focused on anti-racism and inclusion training, hiring local Black educators to lead. 
          • In 2020 then-owners Amber and Jaime (now board-members) participated in a local 8 week offering titled “Race Talk University” hosted at the Denver Shorter AME Community Church and led by Dr. Nita Mosby Tyler and Dr Reverend Timothy Tyler. 
        • to offer discounts to BIPOC for more expensive classes/retreats. This is a form of reparations intended to offset the aggressions that BIPOC have to deal with from living in our white supremacist culture.
        • to pass the mic. When we are asked to teach or speak at an event—if the line up is predominantly white—they will decline and suggest an admired BIPOC educator in our place.
        • to hold our customers to these same standards. We will not tolerate any racist comments/remarks/actions when shopping in our store or online in comments.