Fair Trade Friday!

Let's make Fridays be Fair Trade Fridays, OK? OK.

Today, I present to you... TEN THOUSAND VILLAGES!

Ten Thousand Villages is a Fair Trade retailer with stores in the USA and Canada. I LOVE this store! Luckily, there are two in Calgary, or I definitely would not have moved here.

I learned of this store from my former roommate and current friend Alison (Smalison), who volunteered there back in the days when we lived in Seattle. Ten Thousand Villages began in 1946 when a Mennonite woman visited an MCC sewing class in Puerto Rico. She bought some embroidered pieces to sell back in her hometown in Pennsylvania and the rest, as they say, is history.

The stores sell artisan work, and I find that it is a good place to buy gifts. They also sell Fair Trade coffee, tea, and chocolate. Mmmmm. The stores are volunteer run, with the exception of a manager for each store. I find that a spirit of volunteerism says a lot about a place. Seriously, people are working there for free in a city where you can get paid $12/hr as a starting salary at A&W. I think that's great. I hope I can work there for free one day.

Store locations are all over the US and Canada (you can navigate the links above to find a store near you). I've been to stores in Seattle, Vancouver, Langley, and Calgary. Check it out sometime!