Volunteers are working in the store nearly every day to be ready for the opening.

Additional volunteers are welcome, both during the preparation leading up to the store opening, and then in the on-going store operations after the opening.

Ten Thousand Villages is a fair trade organization that sells high-quality handmade craft items from Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East in over 100 locations across North America. Through fair trade principles, the artisans receive a higher percentage of the profit, thereby making a living wage and contributing to the economic
stability of their own communities.

Approximately 70 percent of the artisans are women, who would not otherwise have much economic opportunity. In addition to the handcraft items, the store will sell Equal Exchange coffee, tea, and chocolate, as well as Putamayo-brand music from around the world.