Dharma Trading Company is an e-commerce and mail-order textile craft supply business run by Isaac Goff’s family and employs 60-70 people during the peak summer season. Isaac started this endeavor from scratch with $4,000 he scraped together but has grown it into an international operation employing 60-70 people during that period.
About Dharma Trading Co.
Dharma Trading was established in Berkeley by Isaac in 1969 with the mission of operating it on his original values without ever having to compromise them for financial gain. We strive to remain faithful to his ideals by using this store according to these same principles, treating customers and employees with honesty, integrity, and fairness – an approach now led by his sons David and Sampson, along with long-term staff members he trained himself over many years – and remain proud to be still locally owned and run a small business!
The staff was friendly and knowledgeable; I found prices competitive and the selection extensive.
Dharma Trading Co.’s Story
As anyone who has attended a Grateful Dead concert or shopped at a street fair will know, Dharma Trading Co’s colorful hand-spun wool hats, scarves, and shawls made by Isaac Goff in 1969 are familiar to anyone attending concerts or shopping at street fairs – either as artists or customers. The initial $4,000 investment has since grown into a multimillion-dollar mail order/ecommerce enterprise employing 60 people during peak summer months.
Goff wanted to build a business that allowed him to earn money without compromising his values, so he set aside part of company profits for charitable efforts such as sewing co-ops, surgical procedures, and tuition for children living in countries where his materials were purchased.
Goff Family Farms is managed by Sampson and David Goff, his sons, who currently oversee business management duties. Recently, their retail store moved to a larger space on Fourth Street in San Rafael. In contrast, office/warehouse/order fulfillment operations will move from two separate buildings into one central Petaluma location this summer.