Ten Thousand Villages of Alexandria

The sun is shining, and so are you! ✨ This weekend only, take 20% off your jewelry purchase. Stop in store today to see what’s new!

These Calao Ombre Capiz Drop Earrings are handcrafted in the Philippines by artisans with SAFFY Inc.

Feeling tense or stressed? Why not treat yourself to a relaxing chair massage from The Garden Wellness Center? Stop by the shop this to meet one of the center's massage therapists and find out how they can help you feel your best.

Click here for more info: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/relax-with-the-garden-wellness-center-tickets-942856327657?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl.

Here comes the sun(flower)!🌻 These incredible Crochet Flower Earrings and Bracelet are crafted by women in Turkey working with Bombyx Mori.

Beautiful, ethical, and on sale-what more could you ask for? This weekend, save 20% on all jewelry, including clearance!

Wishing everyone a safe and happy 4th of July! In honor of Independence Day, we will be closing at 4pm.

Where's Waldo? This July, he's in Alexandria!

From July 1 to July 31, Hooray For Books! will be hosting their scavenger hunt! To start your search, pick up a stamp card at any participating business. Find Waldo in at least 10 different stores to be eligible for prizes! Learn more at https://www.hooray4books.com/calendar/2024/7/1/find-waldo-local-begins.

Here's Waldo hitching a ride on one of our galimotos! Who knows where he's off to next...

Calling all cat lovers!! Don't miss the Homeward Trails Animal Rescue Kitten Scavenger Hunt, happening this Saturday!

What is a kitten scavenger hunt? Around 6 stores in Old Town will host a minimum of 2 kittens so that people can meet adoptable kittens.

How it works:

Participants will start at The Dog Park (705 King St), where they will receive a flyer with a map of Old Town and clues for participating stores. When participants find the kittens, a volunteer at each store will stamp their flyer. Visit every store on the list for the chance to be enrolled in a raffle and win prizes!

We're happy to announce that on Sunday, June 30, we'll be hosting our Donate to Reintegrate fundraiser for the Association of Albanian Girls and Women - AAGW! Please join us in supporting this incredible organization by donating pieces of jewelry, which will then be resold. The proceeds will go towards providing critical resources for survivors of human trafficking and domestic violence.

Founded in 2003 by human trafficking survivors, AAGW is a nonprofit organization that provides educational, emotional, and vocational support to s*x trafficking and domestic violence survivors in Albania. While AAGW relies heavily on donations, survivors also create and sell beautiful handmade jewelry, which you can find in our store.

In addition to the fundraiser, Amy of AAGW will be presenting an informational seminar about the organization. Sign up now to learn more about their life-changing work: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/donate-to-reintegrate-with-the-aagw-seminar-tickets-920318045047?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl.

To celebrate this World Refugee Day, we're teaming up with Homes Not Borders! Homes Not Borders is a Maryland-based nonprofit that seeks to provide refugees in the D.C. area with everything they need to thrive in their new lives. In addition to collecting donations, they support refugee artisans through their New Neighbor Designs program.

Swing by the shop tomorrow from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm to browse beautiful handmade home decor, jewelry, and more!

Our Alpaca Guinea Pigs are BACK-and they've brought along some new friends!

Add a dash of cuteness to your life with our new Alpaca Rabbit and Alpaca Dog! Lovingly made with the softest alpaca wool, they're the perfect snuggle buddies. Need proof? Here's one of our guinea pigs hanging out with her new friend (and IRL twin) Clover, who belongs to our staff member Shannon.

All of our alpaca animals are made in Peru by artisans working with Minga Fair Trade.

Still looking for that special gift for Dad? We've got you covered! Starting this Friday, get 25% OFF the perfect present.

Handcrafted by artisans in India working with Noah's Ark, this bicycle pizza cutter is a fun gift for pizza fans and bike lovers alike! Noah's Ark provides health and education assistance, clean water, capacity building programs and more to artisans and their families.

Wondering how much rain we've gotten in the past few days? Sounds like you could use a rain gauge! Both beautiful and functional, our Indira Cast Iron Rain Gauge is the perfect addition to any garden.

This rain gauge is handcrafted by artisans in India working with Noah's Ark. The organization is made up of two parts: a for-profit business Noah's Ark International Exports and a nonprofit (Noah's Ark Handicrafts & Artisan Welfare Society). The nonprofit provides health and education assistance, clean water, capacity building programs and more to artisans and their families.

This Memorial Day, we remember and honor those who gave their lives for our country.

Happy World Turtle Day! Isn’t this Tanak Turtle Planter adorable?

World Turtle Day was created in order to raise awareness about the illegal pet trade, live food markets, and habitat destruction. To , we‘d like to highlight these turtle socks from Maggie's Organics! For each purchase, Maggie’s donates 10% to Center for Biological Diversity.

Today is our founder Edna Ruth Byler's birthday!

Edna Ruth Byler was a pioneer of the fair trade movement and a powerful force for good. Decades after her death, her impact continues to reverberate around the world. You can read more about Edna's work at https://www.tenthousandvillages.com/pages/history.

In 2013, we set up a birthday photo booth in the store and encouraged people to "party like Edna". Check out a few of the pics from that birthday celebration! You might even recognize two familiar faces who are still working at the store today!

Meet our new intern, Parker!

Parker joins us as part of the Senior Learning Experience at Alexandria City High School, a program that allows students to participate in an internship or service project during the last two weeks of their senior year.

Parker's favorite items:
- Organic Classic Milk Chocolate (43% cacao) by Equal Exchange (Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Paraguay, Peru, and Togo)
- Raspberry Gummy Fish by Women's Bean Project (USA)
- East Africa by Level Ground (Great Rift Valley)
- Ethiopia by Level Ground (Ethiopia)

Are you a student interested in volunteering at our store? Know someone else who might be interested? Feel free to reach out! We're happy to work with seniors looking for a Senior Learning Experience opportunity, and we're also always looking for new volunteers.

Happy Mother’s Day!

🎉🎉In honor of World Fair Trade Day tomorrow, we're hosting a GIVEAWAY!!

Sign up tomorrow in store for your chance to win seven amazing products with a combined value of $200!

Products included:
- Reusable Makeup Remover Rounds by TARA Projects, India (India)
- RELAX Aromatherapy Body Oil by Nature's Essentials (Ghana)
- HOPE Candle Tin by Kin & Care (USA)
- Exfoliating Face Mitt by Sana Hastakala (Nepal)
- Patchwork Cotton Eye Pillow by Mahaguthi Craft With Conscience (Nepal)
- Slow Beauty Ritual for Combination Skin by Katari (Egypt and Tunisia)
- Hogla Basket Bowl (SM) by Prokritee (Bangladesh)

We'd like to wish all the teachers out there a Happy National Teacher Day! Thank you so much for all that you do. ❤

These Super Teacher String Doll Keychains are made in Thailand by Kamibashi Asian Art. Each Kamibashi keychain has a special "superpower." These two have the power to "save the world one student at a time"-and that couldn't be more true. We hope for a world in which teachers around the globe are properly appreciated and compensated for their essential work.

Give the gift of handcrafted elegance! ✨ Stop in to discover what’s new for Mother’s Day-like this gorgeous Celestial Silver Marquise Bracelet. We also have a matching ring and necklace to complete the set.

Visit us this Friday through Sunday and take 20% off your purchase of $50+!

This jewelry is made in Peru by artisans working with Allpa. Allpa comes from a Quechua word meaning "earth." This Peruvian craft trading company provides marketing assistance, technical help, product development advice, skills training and tools to artisan groups and family workshops throughout Peru.

Tomorrow, we’re excited to welcome back Elsa Riveros for another Festive Friday! Hope to see you there!

Another of our awesome volunteers is Julie! Julie has been volunteering with us since the early 2000s, back when our store was at our original location at 824 King St! She's also a member of our managing board.

Julie says:
"My favorite thing about volunteering at Ten Thousand Villages is talking to our customers, sharing information about our handicrafts and the talented artisans who make them. Now and then I hear a customer tell another customer what they have learned, and then I know I’ve done my job!"

Thank you, Julie!!

Julie is wearing our Retro Dress in the pattern Brambles Olive. This dress is made of hand-batiked cotton from Ghana and comes to us from Global Mamas!

Interested in volunteering with us? Email our Volunteer Coordinator at [email protected] to get started!

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. On the last Wednesday of April, we observe Denim Day. On this day, thousands of people around the globe wear jeans in order to raise awareness and show solidarity with survivors of s*xual violence. You can learn more about the origins of and why we wear denim in particular by visiting Peace Over Violence or https://denimday.org/.

Today, we want to highlight our partnership with the Association of Albanian Girls and Women - AAGW. Founded in 2003 by human trafficking survivors, AAGW is a nonprofit organization that provides educational, emotional, and vocational support to s*x trafficking and domestic violence survivors in Albania. While AAGW relies heavily on donations, survivors also create and sell beautiful handmade jewelry, which you can find in our store. The proceeds from these sales help support survivors and their children in their reintegration journey.
For more information about AAGW, visit https://www.aagw.org/.

To start off Volunteer Appreciation Week, we'd like to introduce you to Lisa!

Lisa says:

"I have volunteered at Ten Thousand Villages for about 6 months and love it. I had shopped here for years and it’s nice to finally give back. This was always my go-to place to buy gifts. I was in the Peace Corps and totally connect to the mission of the store. My only issue is not buying it all!"

Lisa's favorites:

• Purple Rain by JusTea (Kenya)
• Face Massage Stone Set by TARA Projects, India (India)
• Moisture Pink Clay Shampoo Bar by Palam Rural Centre (India)
• Ray of Sunshine Necklace by Andean Collection (Ecuador)
• Mexican Hot Chocolate by Moka Origins (Ghana)
• Gluten-Free Cornbread Mix by Women's Bean Project (US)
• Sun Swirl Basket by Uganda Crafts 2000 Ltd. (Uganda)

Thanks, Lisa!

Interested in volunteering with us? Email our Volunteer Coordinator at [email protected] to get started!

This National Volunteer Appreciation Week, we’d like to say a huge THANK YOU to all our volunteers, both past and present. This week and every week, we are so thankful for everyone who has donated their time to further our mission. As a nonprofit, we rely heavily on volunteers and we couldn’t do this work without you! We certainly couldn‘t have made it to the incredible milestone of 30 years! It truly does take a village, and we’re so grateful for ours.

Interested in volunteering with us? Email our Volunteer Coordinator at [email protected] to get started!

This little birdie wants to wish you a happy Earth Day!

At Ten Thousand Villages, we strive to make every day Earth Day.
Many of our products, including this Sunny Garden Birdhouse, are made from recycled and sustainably sourced materials. Woven from wire and recycled snack wrappers, this gem is a great way to take care of our feathered friends and protect our planet from waste in one fell swoop (pun intended)! Each one-of-a-kind piece is handcrafted by artisans in India working with Noah's Ark International Exports.

The bird currently calling this birdhouse home is sustainably made as well! It hails from Zimbabwe, where metal artisans working with Swahili Modern turn discarded oil drums and other recycled metal pieces into art.

This weekend, we're letting the dogs out!

The ALX Dog Walk is this Saturday!! If you haven't registered yet, don't wait-spots are filling up fast! Register now at http://www.alxdogwalk.com/register.

No dog? No problem! With the Sustainability Festival, a bake sale, kids activities, prizes, music and more, there's sure to be something for everyone.

Pictured: A cute Ecru Elephant (created by artisans working with Sasha Fair Trade) out for a stroll with a few of our Kamibashi Asian Art String Doll keychains.

Transform your daily skincare routine with our new line of products from Katari Beauty!

Katari works with artisans in Egypt and Tunisia and uses locally sourced ingredients. In addition to being fair trade, Katari products are cruelty-free, vegan, and packaged in hand-blown glass bottles to cut down on plastic waste.

A quote from our staff member Courtney: "It leaves my skin soft and radiant. I noticed an improvement in my skin texture after a few uses. The black seed oil has helped with blackheads on my nose. Plus, the geranium toner, rose oil, and pomegranate oil smell amazing!"

Our staff has spoken! These stunning earrings, necklace, and bracelet are their top picks for April. Come snag these beauties before they're gone!

From left to right:

• Mother of Pearl Teardrop Earrings by Fair Anita (Mexico)
• Shirisha Brass Drop Earrings by Nepal Knotcraft Centre (Nepal)
• Alba Five Strand Seed & Pearl Necklace by Andean Collection (Ecuador)
• Parat Drop Earrings by TARA Projects, India
• Kunduz Hoops by Turquoise Mountain (Afghanistan)
• Mau Bangle by Viet Horn (Vietnam)

Displayed on the Dekhana Mango Wood Mirror Shelf - Multi by Asha Handicrafts Association (India).

There's less than two weeks left until the third annual ALX Dog Walk!! We're happy to announce that in addition to being a sponsor for this paw-some event, we'll also be participating in the first ever Sustainability Festival!

The ALX Dog Walk, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, organizes an annual dog walk event in Old Town to build community, have a barking good time, and raise funds that help to spread the word about the importance of plastic-free and sustainable living throughout the DMV region.

This year, ALX Dog Walk is inviting 25 organizations to host tables and share their sustainable products and services with the community. We can't wait to see you there!

One of the products we'll be showcasing are these Eco Friendly Wool Dryer Balls! An adorable alternative to dryer sheets, they'll help you reduce waste AND drying time. Our dryer balls are made by artisans in Nepal working with New SADLE. New SADLE is a training and employment program for artisans who have had leprosy or polio, who have other disabilities, or who are socially disadvantaged. The organization offers free medical treatment and rent and childcare allowances.

Our store will be closed tomorrow so that our staff can celebrate the holiday with their families. We'll see you on Monday!