The Nutmeg Collective: Local Love: 24 Peace

Get to know Cindy Witter, founder of apparel company, 24 Peace.

"24 Peace is going into its 4th year of business. I was laid off from my corporate retail job and decided that I wasn't going back to that world! Time to make money for myself instead of for someone else. But I also wanted to feel like I was making a difference every day.

The business is based on the legacy of my big sis, Linda, an artist and very inspirational women. She is no longer with us, but she is the strength and foundation of 24 Peace. Her artwork was the first used in the business and the concept of giving back to the artists’ community and to charity is based on the way she lived her life. I now run the business with my daughter Charlette and help from family and friends. I am a mother of three and a grandmother of seven. I wanted to create a business to make my family proud.

We collect artwork from local artists and have it hand screen printed by a local eco-friendly printer, Rachel DeCavage of Cinder & Salt. We use only the highest quality products/fashion in our line. Everything is in someway eco-friendly and supports a better earth. The comment we hear the most is 'I can't believe how soft this feels.' We pick T shirts, hoodies, yoga wear, onesies and youth clothing so that when you feel it, you're hooked! One of our most popular styles is our zip front hoodies. They are lightweight and comfortable for year round wear. Each piece is so unique because of the original artwork. We change designs often keeping our artist busy :)

We donate a portion of every sale to the artists and to charities including Paul Newman's Hole in the Wall Gang Camp based in CT and a group of others listed on our website.

Right now we are a mobile boutique. We attend farmers markets, fairs, fundraisers... and our line has been picked up by Whole Foods Market in Glastonbury and West Hartford. We would love to have a brick and mortar shop but the overhead and expenses make that difficult at this time, but that is our goal. We are growing by leaps and bounds and I see a bright future for us.

What we love most is that when we are vending at the many many markets and events...the other vendors are some of our biggest customers! It's a great feeling!

We have been featured on Better Connecticut. We will be attending Coventry Farmers Market, Big E, Hebron Fair, Durham Fair, Wadsworth Mansion and many other local events on our calendar. We are looking to broaden our market and have recently attended events in the Boston area and have a great response."