The Moorestown teacher who wore the same dress for 100 days has left the profession to run a fair-trade boutique

Maybe you remember her? The Moorestown art teacher who wore a button-down gray dress for 100 days to make a point about sustainability and social acceptance?

Now, Julia Ranson Mooney has left her South Jersey classroom and moved her social activism to a new venue as the owner of My Fair Trade Lady, a quaint boutique and gift shop on Station Avenue in Haddon Heights.

Mooney wants to use the store to promote fair trade in a global market and support local vendors and businesses abroad. She hopes her experience as an educator allows her to show others how to support businesses ethically and sustainably — the basic principles of fair trade.

“Our consumer habits are out of control,” said Mooney.

Mooney grabbed international headlines in 2018 when she wore the same dress for 100 consecutive days. She wanted to send a message to students and fellow teachers at the William Allen Middle School in Moorestown about eco-sustainability and image.

» READ MORE: One outfit, 100 days. South Jersey teacher's mission

Her campaign went viral and she attracted thousands of Instagram followers. Some students and fellow teachers joined the campaign. Her husband, Patrick, a history teacher at Moorestown High School, wore the same blue shirt and khaki pants to support her.

Mooney still owns the infamous dress that was seen in news reports worldwide, since altered to add a new bottom and top to create two outfits. However, she no longer wears them. “I wore them enough,” she said with a laugh.

When she recently handed in her notice ending a 14-year teaching career, Mooney described the moment as bittersweet, but she believed it was time for a change. Her last school day on Oct. 20 coincided with her 39th birthday.

“There were just too many barriers,” Mooney said of teaching. “The public schools are a hard place to be now. It’s a lot of work with no respect.”

Mooney said she jumped at the chance to purchase My Fair Trade Lady from its original owner, Donna Gottardi, a retired Rutgers University sociology and anthropology professor who started the business nine years ago. She obtained a small business loan from the Cooperative Business Assistance Corp. and took over Oct. 24 .

“I didn’t plan to buy this store. I thought it was a long shot,” Mooney said. “Then the stars lined up and it worked out.”

Gottardi, 57, who also taught at St. Joseph’s University, said she has long had an interest in fair trade. She took students to Latin America for social justice work and taught in Ecuador.

Although the store remained financially stable during the pandemic, Gottardi said she decided to put it up for sale in February to pursue her “next great adventure,” which she hasn’t figured out yet. She spent months seeking potential buyers and was happy to reach an agreement with Mooney.

“It wasn’t an easy decision,” said Gottardi, who lives in Haddon Heights. “I’m just glad it was a nice place for her to land after teaching.”

At first, Mooney’s husband, a teacher for 18 years, was reluctant for her to leave the profession, but he eventually came around. The couple, with three children ages, 6, 8, and 16, follow an eco-sustainability lifestyle at home, too.

“I felt bad for the [students] she was going to be leaving,” Patrick Mooney, 42, said. “But this just seems like it’s right up her alley. She’s always doing things that pull her through meaningful work.“

Mooney has essentially kept Gottardi’s store intact, with only a few small changes: She has added cards made by local artisians as well as some of her own artwork. She plans to extend the operating hours to seven days a week in November and December.

All of the merchandise in the store is Fair Trade Certified, including colorful clothing, jewelry made in Guatemala, coffee, tea, and hand-crafted quilling cards made in Vietnam. Some items are displayed on repurposed furniture, even a wooden ladder turned sideways to hold bars of soap.

Some of the items come from Ten Thousand Villages in Philadelphia, a retailer that offers fair-trade crafts and housewares from Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East.

Under fair-trade practices, businesses partner with farmers and craftspeople, especially in developing countries, to help them find markets for their goods. Fair trade advocates for paying people fairly and promptly, demanding safe working conditions, maintaining environmental stewardship, and providing cultural respect.

”Maybe our goal shouldn’t always be about making a buck,” said Mooney. “Maybe it should be balancing the good in society for all of us.”

Located on a busy thoroughfare in the Camden County community, My Fair Trade Lady has a loyal customer base. On a busy recent afternoon, a steady stream of customers stopped in to browse. Some were surprised to meet the new owner, but still welcomed Mooney.

“I think it’s very nice. I’ll be back,” said Marcie Lehman, 87, of Barrington.

My Fair Trade Lady is at 531 Station Ave. For more information, visit www.myfairtradelady.com or call 856-310-5239.