10,000 Villages offers shopping with a global mission from downtown Ann Arbor
In its sixth year in Ann Arbor, 10,000 Villages has been setting sales records according to Bill Henderson, store manager.
And that helps not only the bottom line, but artisans across the globe to earn a fair wage and even helps local nonprofits.
Henderson said while business has been strong all year, the holiday season is always a busy sales time. The store — located at 303 S. Main St. — has many holiday items for sale including ornaments and hand-carved nativity scenes.
But the hottest items of the season are accessories — scarves, jewelry, and hats, all items that their shoppers consider both for gifts or personal consumption, said Henderson.
10,000 Villages is offering a holiday special, which Henderson said he hopes will bring the concept of Fair Trade to more people. For every $100 spent in the store, the customer will receive a $10 gift card packaged in a gift bag.
10,000 Villages is encouraging its customers to give the gift card to someone else to introduce them to Fair Trade — ultimately helping more people worldwide.
“The more we sell, the more good we can do,” Henderson said.
10,000 Villages is unlike most businesses in that is a non-profit organization run by a board of directors and staffed with volunteers save for a skeletal paid management staff.
The purpose of the business is to provide handcrafted fairly priced goods, which then gives opportunities to artisans all over the world to earn a fair wage for their goods.
Some of the fair-trade merchandise at the store on South Main Street in downtown Ann Arbor.
Wendy Ochoa | For AnnArbor.com
“All these things benefit both the artisan and the customer,” Henderson said. Proceeds are put back into artisan groups. Henderson said proceeds from one particular item, a stone heart made in Haiti, will all go directly to help the artisan communities devastated by the earthquake nearly a year ago.
And because of its nonprofit status, Henderson said they have the opportunity to work with other non-profits as well. Locally 10,000 Villages has collaborated several non-profits including Food Gatherers.
Wendy Ochoa is freelance writer in the news and business sections. She is also a journalism student at Washtenaw Community College where she writes for the Washtenaw Voice.
Comments
bunnyabbot
Sat, Dec 11, 2010 : 11:34 p.m.
@sally, I get what you are saying. But stores don't always buy items in the volume you might think. They have to have a diversified inventory and to do so they might only buy some items by the piece, dozen or "case" which may be 2 dozen. Most businesses don't want to have 300 of the same item taking up storage space. Additionally, writing off travel expenses doesn't mean your trip is free, you still have to pay for the trip you just don't have to pay income tax on it. A $1000 trip to somewhere still costs you $1000 cash out of pocket, just when it comes to tax time you "write it off" meaning it is a business expense, so if you "made" $30,000 and your "expenses" came to a total of $1000 you pay income tax on $29,000, so if your tax rate is 25% lets say you still "paid" out of pocket $750 for your trip. as for the local artist thing and why don't shop owners buy those goods, well some do, but maybe they don't want to carry that stuff, maybe they like the look of certain things and want to carry certain stuff. as for your last line: Ethical businesses purchase goods at reasonable prices and then sell them for reasonable prices. Who are you to determine what is reasonable? businesses sell items for what the market will bear. If they price it too high it will sit there, if they price it too low than they probably won't last long because they can't make enough to cover expenses. YOU as a consumer decide where you want to shop and if you don't like someones goods and or prices you go elsewhere, however wishing a store had lower prices becuase you want something cheaper or think it would be more ethical if, is wishful thinking. Shop owners have expenses, many of which you don't know about, rent, business insurance, health insurance, parking, utilities, credit card service, bank fees (including those pesky fees when people bounce checks and stick them with a bad check) loss (as in shoplifted items), security, equipment (cash register, credit card machine, printer, computer, other inventory programing stuff), office supplies, price guns, price stickers, advertising fees (it ain't cheap to advertise with annarbor.com or the observor or by ANY other means) light bulbs, employees, employee parking (if offered) locks, lost employee keys, displays, bags, tissue paper, gift boxes, business cards, signage, accounting. ethical prices, ha. I suggest you think about where you live, mortgages are not "ethical", car loans are not "ethical", life insurance is not "ethical" parking in downtown ann arbor is not "ethical", the price of popcorn at the movies is not "ethical", all of these things are priced at what the market will bear and for maximum profits.
Sallyxyz
Fri, Dec 10, 2010 : 10:21 p.m.
bunny, all I'm saying is that in some galleries, the mark-ups are excessive because the initial price is extremely low, such as goods purchased in 3rd world countries. Why not support local and regional artists instead, buying their work for a fair price and then adding a reasonable, not obscene, mark-up. Goods purchased from 3rd world countries at rock bottom prices don't need to be marked up to the extent that they are in some places. I think some of it is gouging. I understand the costs of getting the goods imported to the US, but these stores buy items in volume, so the cost of travel and overhead is minimal when looked at across the entire purchase, and it's a tax write-off. It's very different than a tourist taking a trip to a foreign country and buying a few items for personal use. Then the cost of the travel, etc, adds greatly to the cost of one or two items. No one would argue that galleries and shops need to make a profit, but I tire of seeing it on the backs of an average shopper. Ethical businesses purchase goods at reasonable prices and then sell them for reasonable prices.
bunnyabbot
Thu, Dec 9, 2010 : 12:40 a.m.
@sallyxyz, I hope you are not hating on "galleries" who mark stuff up to $40 that you can find the same goods for in a village for $2. For one, businesses need to make a profit and most of them don't get it directly from the village but have bought the same way as any other guy, after the product has changed hands a couple times and the price was raised each step of the way. Additionally, most people don't visit some village like the market you saw in person and the cost of a trip would make your $2 purchase there worth $40 to some people here, ya know?
Sallyxyz
Wed, Dec 8, 2010 : 8:50 p.m.
bunnyabout is correct. The prices are likely negotiated by a series of "middle-people" who buy from the artisans in the villages, and each step of the way is a mark-up. By the time the goods reach a store like 10,000 Villages, the original price, maybe originally a few cents per item, has been inflated along the way, and then when it's for sale in the US store, it is raised dramatically. The items I have seen for sale at 10,000 Villages stores are quite pricey for what you are getting, at least in my view. It's not at all different than other galleries and shops around town who shop in the Mexican villages around Oaxaca, for example, and purchase the wooden carved items that are brightly painted for very low prices (I've been to those Mexican villages myself and have seen those items for sale for just a few dollars each from the artisans) and then the A2 stores and galleries mark the items up greatly (charging $40-50 for an item that was purchased in Mexico for a couple bucks). These are for-profit shops and galleries and can obviously charge whatever they want, but the process of purchasing very low cost items from 3rd world countries and marking them up greatly for sale here is the same as 10,000 Villages. 10,000 Villages says it sends proceeds back to the artisans, but more transparency is needed in their process with actual numbers, since they are using this process as a marketing strategy.
bunnyabbot
Wed, Dec 8, 2010 : 4:37 p.m.
don't kid yourself people, there is no such thing as fair trade, it is a made up term to make yuppies (etc) feel better about buying stuff. These goods are produced cottage industry style. There is no set price they are paid for per piece, the prices are dickered on back and forth from the mud hut dweller to the person in town that then sells them to a bigger place in the big city who then sells them to some american company. Everystep of the way someone is trying to get the price down to make the most profit.
M.
Wed, Dec 8, 2010 : 4:14 p.m.
In a lot of the countries they get these items from, there is hardly a wage to speak of. Of course a "fair wage" in comparison with the wages of others in their country would be low compared to what we consider a fair wage here, but the point is that they are making an income that otherwise would not exist. I cannot speculate on the dollar amounts that truly end up in the hands of the artists, but the fact that they are able to make any profit at all on their work is a wonderful help. Even if they were only receiving a fraction of what their work sold for, you can argue the ethics, but all the artist cares about is that they are able to bring in some kind of income. If they felt it wasn't worth the work, they simply would not participate.
smiles all
Wed, Dec 8, 2010 : 12:36 p.m.
From their website: Ten Thousand Villages is a nonprofit program of Mennonite Central Committee. Does this mean these stores are fundraisers for Christian missionaries? If so, why isn't this information posted in their store window or on their sign?
Bananagunz
Wed, Dec 8, 2010 : 11:48 a.m.
Staffed with volunteers; Now I understand why this place is never open. I've seen a few people try to open the locked doors in the late morning and wonder why it is closed. Yesterday I heard a woman mutter, "Lazy owners, no wonder there's a recession."
jns131
Wed, Dec 8, 2010 : 10:30 a.m.
I read somewhere that to help the economy is to put 75% of your spending into local retailers. I agree with Sally here. You would be broke by the time you did this. A lot of internet sites are offering free shipping at half off their merchandise. Why go out in the cold and freeze to death when you can help your local mail carrier keep her or his job? Just a thought. This is what our mail carrier told me last week. Now I am off to watch to see what comes today. I do walk the streets and dream.
Dot
Wed, Dec 8, 2010 : 10:15 a.m.
I agree with Sallyxyz - "I would be very interested in seeing a real balance sheet with actual costs for these items and the selling prices.....and how much of the actual proceeds are put back into the artisan groups, as the store touts. Also need to see actual numbers that are considered a "fair wage" in some of these countries". Perhaps when a product is being sold as "fair-wage/trade" (coffee, tea, artisan work) the break-down of the above mentioned should be required. As a consumer who considers the impact of my spending/purchases in regards to the environment, both local and global, it makes perfect sense. The more we sell, the more good we can do, Henderson said. If consumers can see the actual picture, it may greatly improve their sales. Post it in the store with pictures and documentation. All these things benefit both the artisan and the customer, Henderson said. Now knowing that 10,000 Villages is a "non-profit" this information will be easy to obtain. Non-profits are required to provide this information (I believe within 7 days) when it is requested of them. Don't get me wrong. I have good intentions. If we can believe that our purchase of items, that in all honesty aren't basic needs, is helping another family and community - I'm ALL for it! Proudly show the impact at the door and P.O.P.!
Sallyxyz
Wed, Dec 8, 2010 : 9:18 a.m.
I think that the mission of this store is laudable. But the prices still are high, probably due to the excessive rents on Main Street in A2. And be assured that high profits are being made on the goods sold in the store...some of these good are made for pennies, which can be considered a "fair wage" in an underdeveloped country, and sold for many dollars in a US store, a very high mark-up, which is part of the appeal of buying and selling 3rd world items. Some of the materials used to make these items are recycled or cost very little as well, adding to the high profit. I would be very interested in seeing a real balance sheet with actual costs for these items and the selling prices.....and how much of the actual proceeds are put back into the artisan groups, as the store touts. Also need to see actual numbers that are considered a "fair wage" in some of these countries. We might be shocked at how low it is. I am wary of these marketing tactics without real data to show the actual numbers.