Ten Thousand Villages marks 25th anniversary in Asheville with special events

Share
Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

  • 1

Congratulations to Ten Thousand Villages! Here’s the press release:

Throughout 2017, Ten Thousand Villages in Asheville is celebrating its 25th anniversary of doing fair trade business downtown. Beginning with a kickoff reception on World Fair Trade Day in May, a series of monthly events will culminate with a Community Shopping Event series in December. Each event will serve to raise awareness about fair trade while building upon the strong community that has supported the organization throughout its history in Asheville.

The 25th Anniversary Kickoff Reception will take place at Ten Thousand Villages on Thursday, May 11th at 6pm. All current and past non-profit partners, business supporters, and customers are encouraged to attend this free event. Light refreshments will be served. There will be a chance to enter several giveaways, as well as a customer appreciation jewelry sale, just in time for Mother’s Day the following Sunday. Says Sara Martin, assistant manager, “As the city of Asheville has grown over the past 25 years, we remain incredibly fortunate to be a part of such a strong, engaged community. This event is our way of saying thank you to the Asheville community for its unwavering support of our organization, its mission, and thousands of artisan partners around the world.”

Other anniversary events throughout the year include:
Fair Trade Coffee breaks for local businesses and schools
A Member Mixer with the Asheville Downtown Association
A Fair Trade Photo Booth for Women’s Friendship Day in September

Continued support of the Asheville community is also on the calendar with the store’s 12th annual Community Shopping Event program. Every December, the Asheville Ten Thousand Villages store hosts a ten-day Community Shopping Event where customers can designate a participating organization to receive 15% of their purchase. This is an expression of appreciation for the community’s support of the store’s global mission.

These events will be punctuated with an International Moveable Feast in October. While still in the planning stages, this event will include stops at several downtown international restaurants, with cuisine samples at every location. The event will end with fair trade chocolate treats and coffee at Ten Thousand Villages. Tickets for the event will go on sale at the kickoff event on May 11th and on EventBrite.

Ten Thousand Villages is a fair trade, non-profit retailer with more than 100 stores in North America. All Ten Thousand Villages products are fairly traded, a system that offers makers a fair, living wage for their work. Each purchase provides income for skilled makers and their communities in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. This income means makers are better able to improve their homes, educate themselves and their children, and put food on the table – and to live healthier lives of dignity. Makers’ work also improves the economic vitality of their communities. Multiply this by tens of thousand of makers and you can understand the global impact of Ten Thousand Villages. Ten Thousand Villages, based in Akron, PA, is a leader in the fair trade movement and has provided fair prices, working capital, and a market for makers around the world for over 65 years.

For more information, please contact the Asheville assistant store manager Sara Martin at
(828) 254-8374. Ten Thousand Villages in Asheville is open Mon-Thu 10am-8pm, Fri-Sat 10am-9pm, and Sun 10 am-4 pm.
Photo: Sympath, an artisan with Poocharam Federation, receives vital, fair income for her handcrafted palm leaf streamers in Vellore, India.

Tags::
Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

  • 1

You Might also Like

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Related Stories