Sunday Shopping: Ten Thousand Villages

It was my great pleasure to visit the local Nashville Ten Thousand Villages store & share their story on the blog (see the full post here), & I honestly can't stop thinking about this amazing company & the wide umbrella of artisans that they work with in 38 countries.

I am blown away by the fact that Ten Thousand Villages stores are mostly staffed by unpaid volunteers so that the artisans can earn a fair wage, while still having their products sold at a reasonable price.

Looking over the Ten Thousand Villages website brings tears to my eyes, as each product has a description of how it was made (many by 100% recycled or sustainable materials), & a note about the group of artisans that make them. Some are citizens disabled by the raging wars in their countries. Others are women who escaped sex trafficking. And many many more are men & women who are using their traditional trades to make a new life for themselves, their children, & their communities.

Often times ease of access & a high sticker price keeps me from purchasing fair trade, sustainably made products, but now that I have found Ten Thousand Villages (both online, and locally at my Nashville store), my excuses have been erased. Next time you are looking for a gift, or to add an unique piece to your home, please check out these amazing items & think about what you are actually buying!

1 Phoenician glass green pitcher, made in the West Bank // 2 Hand painted dessert plates, made in Vietnam // 3 Marble cutting board, made in Pakistan // 4 Wool llama, made in Peru (I want to give this as my baby shower gift for forever!) // 5 Mouth-blown glass pitcher (matching glasses), made in Bolivia (from 100% recycled glass!) // 6 Cotton sari + kaisa grass hamper, made in Bangladesh (this is such a great piece, at an amazing price!) // 7 Scalloped mirror, made in Peru // 8 Coconut shell "hands" salad servers, made in Cambodia by citizens disabled by war // 9 Hogla grass + bamboo handled basket, made in Bangladesh // 10 Recycled sari blanket, made in Bangladesh by former sex trade victims