Welcome to Ten Thousand Villages St. Paul! We are a fair trade store - all of our goods are handmade by producers who are paid fairly for the work they do. By shopping at our local nonprofit store, you support artisans and farmers in developing countries. As a result of earning a fair and sustainable income, parents are able to send their kids to school, buy more nutritious food, and support their local economies. Some of our artisan partners specifically focus on employing marginalized people such as individuals with special needs, leprosy, HIV/AIDS, and survivors of sex work and trafficking. More information on fair trade can be found here: http://wfto.com/fair-trade/10-principles-fair-trade .
Our products encompass jewelry, personal accessories, textiles, home decor, books, coffee and tea, chocolate, cards, gifts, and ornaments (during the holiday season). Below are some snapshots of recent new items.
Parking is available in the lot behind our store. From Selby, turn down Mackubin or Kent. Our lot has a big blue container and is marked Carlsen and Frank Architects and Omnium Bike Shop.
About Our Store
We are a nonprofit, fair trade retailer of artisan-crafted home décor, personal accessories, and gift items from around the globe. Part of the world’s largest and oldest fair trade organization, our store features products from more than 130 artisan groups in some 40 countries.
We celebrated our 35th anniversary in 2016. A tremendous debt of gratitude is owed to the many talented artisans, dedicated staff and volunteers, and loyal customers who have made this possible. Three decades of fair trade in the Twin Cities is really something to be proud of – Thank You!
Our Mission
To create opportunities for artisans in developing countries to earn income by bringing their products and stories to our markets through long-term fair trading relationships.
About Ten Thousand Villages
Ten Thousand Villages has spent over 60 years cultivating trading relationships in which artisans receive a fair price for their work and consumers have access to distinctive handcrafted items. We seek to establish long-term buying relationships in places where skilled artisans are under- or unemployed, and in which they lack other opportunities for income. We are a founding member of the World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO).
Volunteer at Ten Thousand Villages
Our store could not run without the many generous volunteers, who support fair trade by donating their time. Their support is invaluable – volunteers provide outstanding support to our (small) paid staff, tremendous service to our customers, and a network of fair trade activism in the Twin Cities community.
Our volunteer program includes about 100 active volunteers, who work as sales associates and in many other areas of the store.
We offer the following as part of our volunteer program:
- A thorough training to give our volunteers the tools they need to educate our customers about our mission, our artisan partners, and fair trade.
- A variety of volunteer positions with flexible scheduling and a minimum commitment of 4 hours per month.
- Generous discounts as an extra incentive (we know it’s not your primary motivation, but it doesn’t hurt)!
Get involved
Interested in becoming a volunteer at our store? Fill out this Volunteer Application
to help us learn more about you,
and we'll be in touch to talk about helping you get involved! If you use Adobe Reader, hitting "submit" at the
bottom of the form will send your information to us. Otherwise, you can email the completed form to
volunteercoordinator.stpaul@tenthousandvillages.com.
A great way to find out if volunteering at Ten Thousand Villages St. Paul is right for you is to join us for a
volunteer orientation event. Volunteer orientations are held at 6:30pm on the first Wednesday of each month.
Registration is required. Please contact us at 651-225-1043 or
volunteercoordinator.stpaul@tenthousandvillages.com
to reserve your place.
Upcoming volunteer orientations are scheduled for:
Wednesday, February 7 6:30pm
Wednesday, March 7 6:30pm
Regular Sales Associate Volunteer Shifts:
Monday-Friday 11am-2 pm; 2pm-6pm; 6pm-8:30pm
Saturday 11am-1pm; 12pm-3pm; 2pm-5pm; 4pm-6:30pm
Sunday 11am-1pm; 12pm-2pm; 1pm-3:30pm; 3:30pm-5:30pm
Store Hours
| Monday-Friday: |
11am-8pm |
| Saturday: |
11am-6pm |
| Sunday: |
11am-5pm |
