Morgan Hill Today 2013 06 Summer | Page 28

Everyone has a story … meet Mike Monroe

It began with the thought of

“ designing a business where everyone benefits .”

By Kelly Barbazette

Mike Monroe moves with a pleasant ease between customers , sales associates and vendors in his Morgan Hill store , People and Planet — part community-meeting place and part specialty store offering fair-trade products as well as local and organic foods .

Mike , 57 , is living his dream at the helm of this business that sells products made by individuals who are paid a fair wage regardless of where they live . It began in his and his wife Erin ’ s Gilroy home in 1994 as an endeavor to address social justice issues in the business world .
“ I thought , I ’ m going to design a business — I don ’ t know what it is — where it features products where everyone benefits ,” Mike said of the store ’ s roots .
The oldest of four boys , Mike is a California native but moved around the country every couple of years as a child when his Dad ’ s job transferred them to various cities .
By the time he reached his junior year in high school , he and his family had once again settled in California when his Dad purchased an auto parts store . Mike attended Santa Clara University , majoring in economics . Going to college in the 1970s at the height of social justice and political movements , Mike said shaped his view of the world and how to affect change .
“ If I can do something by default in what I purchase or communicate to customers , it just happens . I don ’ t feel that comfortable jumping up and down , but sometimes you should ,” he said .
Upon graduating , Mike worked for a few years then attended graduate school at UCLA for a few years . But his heart was calling him back to the Bay Area . He met his wife Erin while working as a busboy at the Denny ’ s on the El Camino during his senior year of college . She was attending West Valley Community College before completing her registered nursing program . On one of their dates , Mike said he had made his decision .
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