By DANNY HOUSER

Staff Writer

A small statue in the shape of a skull with a horn mohawk. Photo by Danny Houser

Exotic Imports has been selling its goods for short periods of time at the Seaway Mall for the past 15 years.

"All of our products are handcrafted in Indonesia," Wayan Bagiartha says.  Bagiartha is a native Indonesian who owns the store with his wife, Penny Harvey.

You can find a variety of products in Exotic Imports, varying from statues to carvings, paintings and even lamps.

Bagiartha confirmed everything in the store is fair trade produced. Fair trade means the workers or artists are paid living wages and are not forced to work in dangerous or slave-like conditions.

Harvey started the business after taking an entrepreneurial course at Niagara College. She decided to sell products from Indonesia after going on a business trip. She now lives there nine months of the year with her husband and two children. "I was born in Welland," Harvey says, "and we keep coming back to the Seaway Mall because of that.  Its important that my kids know how to be Canadian."

Josh Yzerman, a first-year concurrent education student at Brock University, was in the store buying Christmas presents. "The items are interesting," Yzerman said. He added that there were a lot of good presents for family and friends in the store.

Alex Smith, another student at Brock University, in the Classical Art and Archaeology program, said he received an eagle-headed cane as a Christmas present.

"It's a beautiful example of handmade craftsmanship."

Exotic Imports is coming back to Seaway Mall in November 2010.