Previously Featured Business:  Ten Thousand Villages

Ten Thousand Villages marks 25th anniversary

Photo below - Kimberley Burg, manager of Ten Thousand Villages, stands in the store at 5596 Main St. at E. Spring Street in the Village of Williamsville, which celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2008.

A better future — that is what the artisans supplying goods for Ten Thousand Villages want, and that is the company's mission when distributing the items.

While the company is 62 years old, Western New York has been home to a location for 25 years, making it the seventh or eighth oldest in the country.

Managed by Kimberley Burg, the 5596 Main St. location is the fourth, first opened in the Village of Akron, then moved to Clarence and then to Williamsville Place Plaza, before settling in the village three years ago.

"I started out by shopping here," Burg said about becoming involved with the company.

She was a board member and volunteer before being named manager nine years ago.

Burg describes a shopping experience at Ten Thousand Villages as "traveling the world without leaving home." Items ranging from jewelry to soap, children's toys to decorative pieces — plus much more — are brought in from several countries.

"It's higher-end retail items with lower prices because it is nonprofit. It's a different business model," she said. "The company is very volunteer-based, from top to bottom. It could not be done without the volunteers."

A gala was held Saturday to mark the anniversary and honor the volunteers. The Bette Patterson Memorial Award was given to Ruth Muck, a four-year volunteer who is known for her giving spirit.

Ten Thousand Villages' CEO Craig R. Schloneger was in town to visit the Williamsville store and celebrated the anniversary.

"It's a wonderful blend of business and mission together ... it really works to alleviate poverty," he said.

Joining the company two years ago, Schloneger and his wife, Ann, spent three years as educators and country co-representatives for the Mennonite Central Committee in Swaziland, Africa.

From that experience, he learned about the types of families benefiting from Ten Thousand Villages.

"It is very much a part of who I am," he said about the mission.

Founded in 1946, Ten Thousand Villages is one of the oldest and largest nonprofit fair-trade organizations in the world. It takes goods from artisans in developing countries and sells them in stores around the United States.

"It generates income they otherwise would not have access to," Schloneger said. "We get it from their living room, all the way to the living room of the customer; we help make that transition happen."

He added that selling of goods can be the difference between a grass and tin roof on the artisan's house, for example.

"And they want to be able to send their children to school," he said. "The dreams they have for their children are the same we have. They want to send them off, see them flourish, and have options, choices and careers. That drives us to continue with the mission."

For information on Ten Thousand Villages, visit www.tenthousandvillages. com.

The Williamsville location is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Wednesday and Friday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday. Call 839-9274.

By Jessica Finch
The Amherst Bee