With the holiday season well underway, DC’s boutiques are teeming with gift givers searching for that perfect present for friends, lovers, family members and coworkers. Those interested in a one-stop shopping spree and unique, eco-friendly finds, need look no further than Hoopla Traders – an Adams Morgan boutique filled with jewelry, chocolates, soap, candles, house wares, clothing and all kinds of knickknacks – many of which are made from recycled and ecologically sustainable materials. And Hoopla’s socially responsible co-owners – Laurie Morin and Denise D’amour – make a practice of placing people before profits by offering handmade creations that economically sustain artisans and artisan groups from around the world.

“We are more mission driven than product driven,” says Morin.

In 2001, Morin, a lawyer and University of the District of Columbia professor, wanted to put into practice the theories she taught her students on a weekly basis – that a business could be profitable and socially responsible. Morin took a one-year sabbatical from teaching and with Denise D'amour opened up Hoopla as a specialty gift shop that like its name would hopefully cause a commotion in DC’s retail world. The store took residence in Capitol Hill’s historic Barracks Row. 

Even though Morin’s prior business experience as the co-owner of Capitol Hill Bikes helped in developing the business end of starting another retail store, it was her love of art collecting that molded the aesthetic of the boutique. When it came to searching for art, whether it was paintings or collages, Morin would go to art shows, Art-o-Rama, and other venues to find artists before they finally started coming to her. Morin says that the art in Hoopla doesn’t fit into one particular genre. Instead the store is looking for art that in one way or the other fits with their mission. “What we are looking for is of the folk art vein,” says Morin. “It includes outsider art – art done by self-taught artists, people who use found materials – a lot of mixed media art made with found objects, papier-mâché. We look for art that in one way or the other fits with our mission.”

That mission includes informing customers about the people behind the art and goods that they are buying by placing placards around the store. For instance, a customer can learn more about the economic and ecological opportunities that jewelry made by Maasai Women in Kenya, using allen wood, grass and ceramic, have created in their communities. Or a person that buys a painting by Art Enables can learn more about the Washington, DC, metro area based arts training and employment placement program for persons with mental and/or developmental disabilities.

As HOOPLA has evolved, a decision was made to find more eco-friendly products, including furniture made of wood specifically grown for that furniture or dresses made out of bamboo.

And the evolution hasn’t ended there. Even though Hoopla’s owners loved the Barracks Row location, Morin and her business partner desired a broader market for the shop. So when someone came to the store this year and told them that there was a storefront in Adams Morgan that needed a tenant. They jumped on the opportunity.

Now that they have moved to Adams Morgan, according to Hoopla’s manager, Michael Thorpe, their new client base is “a bit younger, edgier and much more international than before since Adams Morgan’s commercial strip makes it a tourist and nightlife destination.”

Even though their Adams Morgan location is smaller, Hoopla has expanded their sustainable furniture collection and the store includes a mini-art gallery, thanks to renting the carriage house behind the main building.  Hoopla’s most recent exhibit, “The Goddess Game: 12 New Faces of the Zodiac,” showcases the art of Julia Musenga, a local artist from southern Maryland. Musenga’s art includes installation of paintings and three-dimensional constructed altars. In the spring, the store will be introducing a men‘s clothing line.

Despite their success, like most small businesses located in DC, Hoopla faces real challenges – high property taxes, high sales tax, and difficulties getting business licenses, notes Morin.

“Whether you rent or own, [property taxes are] pricing a lot of small businesses out of the market.”

Even though Morin plans to make it up with increased sales, she says it will take “a little of a leap of faith.”

Hoopla is located at 2314 18th St. NW, between Kalorama and Belmont in Adams Morgan, Washington, DC. Call 202-797-0730, or visit hoopladc.com for more information.