Ten Thousand Villages In South Windsor, CT

Ten Thousand Villages in South Windsor, CT

Ten Thousand Villages is a store offering handmade collections of jewelry, accessories, art, sculpture, and home decor items that are made by people of Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East.  With stores thoughout the U.S. and Canada, Ten Thousand Villages states that its mission "is to create opportunities for artisans in developing countries to earn income by bringing their products and stories to our markets through long-term fair trading relationships."  I was particularly impressed with their One Reason Why Campaign, which details a very comprehensive commitment to this philosophy.

Ten Thousand Villages seeks to support artisans who would be unemployed or underemployed by engaging in fair trade so they can provide for themselves and their families.  The idea began in 1946 by Edna Ruth Byler to create a market in North America for the handmade products of developing countries.  What grew into SELFHELP: Crafts of the World would be renamed Ten Thousand Villages in 1996, which would open its first retail stores in 1997.  In 2006, it began offering products online, and now has a facebook page with over 16,000 fans. 

Ten Thousand Villages has also been named one of the most ethical companies by Forbes Magazine and Ethisphere Institute for 2008, 2009, and 2010.

The South Windsor store recently opened in Evergreen Walk and is definitely worth the trip for interesting, handmade gifts, artwork, jewelry, fair-trade coffee and chocolate, and international music.  If you don't have time to visit the store, you can shop for gifts online and see some of the unique gifts that they offer.