Ten Thousand Villages is a fair trade gift shop. So there were really unique items from around the world. When we visited on a Sunday afternoon, half of the back area was sectioned off so there wasn't a whole lot of items to browse. I'm under a tight budget so the prices here didn't appeal to me, but they were overall pretty reasonable. And it's great that the items weren't trendy items semi-massed produced that's sold under the guise of a gift shop trying to make it appear unique or local ish. You know what I mean?! The hubs actually surprised me because he ended up with some Feelgoodz house slippers. He loves online shopping more than being in-person at a store. So after he kept examining a pair of slippers and looking at prices online, he said he'd take 'em. I guess he went for a functional item. I've never encountered a whole store with fair trade items (not that I can remember) so running into this one was really cool. If we are to be consumers in this world, why not make it count a bit. read more

Last week my husband and I decided to check out the Elmwood shops and took a nice walk around the neighborhood. This is the only shop that really stood out to me. The merchandise was affordable and actually things I would buy. The cashier was super friendly but not pushy and really helpful. I know this is more of a chain store but I've never seen one before and I really enjoyed our visit. read more

Ten Thousand Villages - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Buffalo, New York

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Last week my wife and I walked pretty much every shop on Elmwood for the unofficial start of the holiday season. Of all the shops we came across, this was most likely our favorite. This store was small and cute, had tons of cool and interesting items, and was very reasonably priced. Even though we visited something like 8 shops on the strip that day, this was the one of two we actually made a purchase at. All told, this was very possibly my favorite little shop on Elmwood. read more

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This shop is great. It is fair trade and the items are unique. There is everything from cotton dresses, to musical instruments, to planters, and coffee. It is a great shop to get a different gift. The staff is friendly and will help you pick out items, answer questions, etc. read more

Ten Thousand Villages is a cute store located in the heart of Williamsville on Main Street across from the Glen Park Tavern. They're a fair trade retailer of artisan-crafted home decor, personal accessories and gift items from across the globe. I was quite impressed with their mission to sell products from third world countries. However, as I asked more questions I was told that there is a markup on the products and they didn't specify how much the markup is/how much of a profit they receive. The items Ten Thousand Villages has for sale are precious, cute, amazing, intricate and handcrafted. Their prices reflect this. I wish the artisans were able to reap the benefits. Ten Thousand Villages is actually a chain - while they feature products from more than 130 artisan groups in some 38 countries, they are part of a network of over 390 retail outlets throughout the United States selling these products. They're an independent nonprofit and according to their website, "all sales revenue generated by Ten Thousand Villages and any surplus earned by operations is retained within Ten Thousand Villages. Surpluses are used to increase purchases from artisans and to finance the growth of Ten Thousand Villages retail network." This is awesome but I would instead like to see the artisans get more money for their products, particularly since people are buying them up, they're worth more than they're getting and Ten Thousand Villages proves that. It bothers me that Ten Thousand Villages are more often than not in affluent communities or shopping centers rather than middle class communities. The money they must be paying to have their retail shops could be returned to the artisans if they chose to be located elsewhere. Granted, perhaps their sales wouldn't be as good, I'm not sure. In the end: I love the fair trade approach, I just wish it were more fair for those actually making the products, not just those who sell them. read more

I've tried as long as possible to hold off on this review because I wanted to do my research first. I apologize if this review comes off as scathing, opinionated, or simply wrong (if wrong, or my thoughts are completely off the cuff, please correct me.) I can only speak from my own life experiences and what information I have managed to gather on my own. Let's talk about the pros to this business. The first, and most importantly, they're trying to recognize artists for being artists. That means selling product that someone did indeed create. In this case, it's an artisan from a third world country who needs the money to continue creating their goods and making a living. I'm glad that someone is recognizing the need for this, somewhere in the world. Recognizing artists for their artistry is essential. Support artists. I also really love how on their website they highlight the regions and give a brief overview of the different areas in the world. Kudos to that setup. However, I have a problem with a business marking up prices to reap the benefits of the surpluses they acquire in these aforementioned affluent neighborhoods or shopping centres. What you mean to say is you're selling to a specific person who is likely to buy the product for style while disconnecting the product from the person who made it. Which is the definition of modern day America in this Age of Globalization, but I have a problem with a nonprofit taking this wolf in sheep's clothing approach. You're still a business. You're still in desirable locations where people want to buy "exotic" things. You're a chain that has many locations. I know the chain store, but I don't know the person who is creating the things that you're putting in the chain store. I'm extremely aware of the privilege I have to live where I live and have money. I would hope that as people enter an establishment such as this one, you would get a sense of the fact that you are lucky to have what you have and live where you live. After walking out of this business, I'm not sure the connection is there. They sell absolutely beautiful things, no doubt. I just wish it wasn't with the same caveat that a business could profit from someone else's work. That grinds my gears. Where you should go instead: * First of all, travel to these "ten thousand villages" instead. Nothing beats buying it from the artisans themselves. Many countries have open markets where you can buy their goods. From my backpacking experience in Peru, there is a market in Lima with many open shops, Belen Market in Iquitos, and the Mercado Central de San Pedro in Cusco where I bought a lovely alpaca sweater. Other (third world) countries have the same setup in other major cities, so check them out. Exploring what people have made themselves really puts things in perspective for your own life. * Global Villages. This place is run by a lovely woman from Rwanda who has met many artisans from all over the world that she stays in contact with. There is a strong connection with the places she's been and the people that have helped her sell her product. She's doing great things in an expanding area and also bringing attention to artisans from all over the world. Most importantly, Global Villages is not a chain. It's one woman doing a hell of a lot of work to make great things happen. Do the Yelp thing and support your local business. :) read more

Really nice & unique items from around the world! Excellent customer service.

I have shopped at Ten Thousand Villages for many years, partly because I value the beautiful items crafted by artisans from developing nations, who are able to earn a living wage thanks to their relationship with Ten Thousand Villages. I also love the unique personal accessories, decorative and useful items that are often created with recycled materials. I find the prices very fair for handcrafted goods. Knowing that the majority of the artisans are women who would be unemployed or underemployed if they didn't use their talents to create the beautiful items I purchase as gifts makes me realize that the work of the Ten Thousand Villages organization is important to help the artisans provide for their families. read more