We were exploring the outskirts of Charlotte the other day when we stopped at a little toy-store off Sharon-Amity Rd. Behind the toy-store we discovered a great art-supply store and a little shop that captured my attention. The shop, “Ten Thousand Villages”, offers the work of artisan groups having paid them fair-trade wages. Most of the employees are volunteers and were well-educated on the materials used to create these mostly practical works of art. All products are made using sustainable methods, which added to the general appeal of the place and the prices were very reasonable.
I was so excited to find a store like this that I began telling the man at the counter all about Traverse City and our wonderful fair-trade/sustainability-minded community when a woman standing nearby said, “I’m from Traverse City, too!” Talk about like-mindedness!
2 Comments
June 24, 2008 at 11:17 pm
Aren’t those stores great? They have them all over the country. Congrats on your find.
June 24, 2008 at 11:54 pm
Yes! I’ve been shopping on NOVICA which represents foreign artisans, but have never been able to handle the items in person until now – very neat stores.