Arelia was founded with a simple vision; to create a marketplace showcasing merchandise from nonprofits around the world.

Around 10 years ago, I started The Dinosaur Project, which was a small online t-shirt business that I ran out of my mom's basement. I created and sold shirts with my trademarked "Save the Dinos" slogan, using humor to bring attention to a cause that was important to me; saving endangered animal species (another cause was getting out of my mom's basement, which I was finally able to do). Through the process I discovered how impactful nonprofit organizations could really be, and how difficult it is for their merchandise to be found through a sea of products from companies with huge marketing budgets and fancy SEO algorithms.

I've always enjoyed shopping from small nonprofit shops that I find online. There are so many amazing organizations out there, and selling merch helps with their budget. Buying and wearing something impactful gives you the warm and fuzzies. Sure, an (insert name brand) shirt may be nice, but wearing a shirt supporting a small nonprofit with limited funds is even nicer. Somewhere along the line I thought to myself, "what if all these shops were combined into one platform?"

This is where the idea for Arelia was born. Over time, my hope is that this platform turns into a marketplace where you can browse merchandise supporting any cause of your choosing, combining hundreds of stores into one centralized place.

As a #twingirldad, I can only hope to start something that matters and show my daughters how much good there actually is in the world. The name Arelia comes from a combination of their first names, and our logo is a replica of a very uniquely snouted stuffed bear (one of the best Kohl's purchases ever) that has been joining our family on adventures for years.

If you know or work for a nonprofit that would like to be a part of this platform, please feel free to reach out via Instagram (@areliaforgood) or email us at shoparelia@yahoo.com.