After nearly two years of fundraising, Ten Thousand Villages of Central PA has found a permanent home for a store in State College.
Selling fair-trade goods handmade by artisans in developing countries, the nonprofit store is expected to open in September at 1341 S. Atherton St., between One Main Financial and Lychee Resto in the in the Talbots plaza.
Ten Thousand Villages products are sold at more than 300 locations worldwide.
‘Our goal is to create sustainable income for artisans in developing countries who struggle to make ends meet,’ said Joel Weidner, chair of the Ten Thousand Villages of Central PA board. ‘All the products will be fair trade. Artisans are paid a fair wage for the work that they do. They’re paid up front for their crafts, so they don’t have to wait to be sold here.’
The fair-trade relationship also ensures a healthy work environment for the artisans, equal pay for men and women, no child labor and use of sustainable materials.
University Mennonite Church, 1606 Norma Street in State College, has been holding Ten Thousand Villages sales, particularly around the holidays, for more than 20 years. In 2016, several community members, led by Weidner and Jean Landis, formed a nonprofit board with the goal of raising $100,000 to secure a location for a retail store.
The group has raised $125,000, including a $50,000 matching grant from the Mennonite Central Committee.
With a lease beginning July 1, Ten Thousand Villages of Central PA will spend about two months on buildout of the 1,253 square foot space, with the goal of being ready to open in September.
Weidner said the effort has received a positive reception from the community. In addition to University Mennonite Church, St. Paul’s United Methodist, State College Presbyterian, Unitarian Universalist Fellowship and Grace Lutheran Church and local Rotary clubs have all reached out to offer support.
Along with interest from the local community, Weidner said he believes that because there are multiple Ten Thousand Villages stores in Pennsylvania, visitors will recognize the brand and be willing to stop in.
‘I think this town is ready for this,’ he said. ‘And a lot of people that are coming in may have brand awareness. We’re hoping, being here on South Atherton Street, that people, even though they don’t know we’re here, will drive by, see our sign and stop in.’
Weidner said the board expects to hire a full-time manager and likely other part-time help, especially during busy retail seasons. But volunteers will be key to the effort.
‘Volunteers are going to be really important in keeping our costs down and allowing us to turn over as much money as possible back to the artisans,’ he said. ‘We’ll be looking for regular volunteers that are willing to come in for regular shifts each week, and during busy times we’ll need additional folks to help out.’
Anyone interested can email volunteer@TenThousandVillagesCentralPA.org. The group hopes to build a pool of volunteers to be ready at opening.
Ten Thousand Villages CEO Carl Lundblad said he is appreciative of the local efforts and happy to see artisans’ work shared in a store in a new market.
“We are grateful for the enthusiastic support the State College community has already demonstrated for our mission, the outstanding leadership that Joel Weidner and Jean Landis have provided in this effort, and the team that has been helping raise funds and awareness to support this project” Lundblad said. “We are excited to share the product and stories of our talented artisan partners in this new market, helping new customers create positive change with their purchases.”
For more information, visit TenThousandVillagesCentralPA.org.
