Ten Thousand Villages

Great selection of trinkets and goodies! I visited a location in Austin a couple years ago and had to go in this one when I was walking by. Excellent mission, passionate staff. Making a difference and supporting fair trade and wages of hose in developing countries. Eagerly awaiting the development of a DC location! :)

Absolutely lovely incredible store! For being all fair trade and so unique the prices are very reasonable! The staff is incredibly friendly and many of their products (in addition to being fair trade) also benefit a particular charitable organization. Would totally recommend!

This is the best place to buy unique gifts. I have found Ten Thousand Villages comes through for the person that «has everything.» They’re trying to open up a second store in the the metro area somewhere in D.C.

This is a neat shop. Most if not all of the shop’s proceeds go toward benefiting the artists who made the products. If you are looking for something unique in Alexandria, I would start here. Lots of unique little ceramics, jewelry, notebooks, scarves, etc., and made from artists from all over the world. Stop, shop, get inspired!

When I go on vacation, I usually try to buy a scarf as a memento. After walking up and down King Street, we found this wonderful store. Ten Thousand Villages sells fair-​trade goods at reasonable prices. I paid $ 24 for a gorgeous red and yellow poppy scarf. The staff were very friendly, commenting on my choice, which made me feel good :)
We browsed this place for at least 20 minutes, there are so many cool things to look at: paper goods, textiles, bags and totes, jewelry, pillows, home accents like wooden animals and coasters, and kitchen goods like decorative plates, glasses, and trays. They also serve fair-​trade coffee to sample.
Thanks for a lovely experience!

Ten Thousand Villages is a fantastic store where you can find unique items for any occasion. I love their collection of ceramics and the jewelry section is a little gem.(please excuse the pun). I love the fact that they mark the country of origin on each item. There is something really cool knowing that your new platter shaped like a fish was fashioned in the mountains of Nepal, or that your new owl tape measure was crafted in Vietnam.
As I have traveled to over 50 countries, my Ten Thousand Villages experience is slightly different than that of most shoppers. First, for me, it is one giant walk down memory lane as I continually recognize items from my travels. Thus, I know that this store’s merchandise is the real deal, and I am confident that any purchase will be authentic in every aspect. In fact, after a trip to India, I realized that I was a few gifts short for family and friends. Well, no problem. for I found the same heart shaped boxes that I had purchased on the streets of Delhi the week before. Family and friends none the wiser. and I was confident that each item was from India and not China.
Secondly, and this is one is hard to admit, I really love a good deal and because I know what this store’s items go for on the streets of their country of origin, it sometimes makes a purchase somewhat difficult. Yes, I’m aware of Ten Thousand Villages’ mission statement and the idea of a living wage, but I have bought directly from craftsmen/​artists in such places as Indonesia, India, South Africa, Chile, Cambodia, and Vietnam, and they all seemed quiet happy with my payment that was sometimes 5x less than the Ten Thousand Villages listed price. But, I’m sure such things as import fees, taxes, and transportation costs must be factored into Ten Thousand Villages prices, so I guess it is fair.
Lastly, for me some of the best deals tend to be the smaller items. And let’s face it, when it comes to getting a Nepalese fish platter, fifty dollars is still a pretty fair deal. A great store and a must see on King Street.

I purchased a few of the metal (not sterling silver) necklaces. All of my jewelry at home is silver, gold, or pearls, but these items were beautiful, and I liked the altruistic concept of the store. Unfortunately, when I looked into it, both the store and customer service number were unable to tell me the type of metal used. The customer service rep was pleasant and helpful — she did know the jewelry did not contain lead — but beyond that, she didn’t know. For example, when I asked about nickel, she said she would have to research it. I was concerned about toxicity as I had a recent health issue and want to be careful.
I went back to the store in Old Town to return the jewelry. The staff member who processed the return was professional, but her colleague was not. She made a series of inappropriate comments to me as the return was being processed. She began by saying that they can’t identify what they are made of since it is «costume jewelry» and I should look at the sterling silver. She continued with some intrusive and presumptuous statements about my health.
But for that experience, I would have tried again another time, but I will not be back.

What a phenomenal store! I’m disappointed that I didn’t stop in sooner. I love the story, the goods, and even the prices. Was shocked that a store with as cool a mission as that can operate in the high-​rent district of choice King Street. I’ll be doing all of my holiday shopping there. Unique gifts, incredibly reasonable prices, and you’re doing good for your fellow Man. If you need your spirits lifted, just stop in for a browse — you’ll be glad you did!

I am a big fan of the Ten Thousand Villages in Chapel Hill, NC, so I was disappointed with my first visit to this store because I was expecting to find a specific Alaffia fair trade lotion. The Alexandria store had an almost nonexistent personal care section at the time (even now, it is very small and limited to $ 5+ bar soaps and shea butter). I eventually got over the lotion thing because Whole Foods has expanded their Alaffia selection to about 40 products (btw I have tried almost all of them if you have questions).
It is a little cramped but neat. Their redeeming quality is their jewelry selection, which probably takes up ¹⁄₆ of the wall space in the store. While I have yet to see anything I would buy, the selection is pretty extensive — particularly the earrings. Unfortunately for me, (but probably a sound business move on their part), it is probably geared at 40+ tourist women, meaning that they are either a bit too conservative and/​or lacking in creativity/​originality. *Disclaimer: I design jewelry. I say the same thing when I go to jewelry/​arts/​craft fairs.*
Other than that, they have a small toy and children’s book section, clay/​ceramics, a variety of decorative items, musical instruments, bags, incense, and a nice selection of Putamayo World Music (they often have music sales). They also have events like, recently an Elephant Day where they had 20% off all elephants… there were actually quite a few of them in the store. I saw a spa week event in late Sept where personal care items were going to be 25% off (I might have to come back for that). I believe most of the people who work at the store are volunteers but they are friendly and helpful.
The prices are a little high, but remember that a «living wage» and possibly a little extra to support/​maintain the local hospital/​school/​sanitation system is built into the price. Check in on Unilocal for a 20% off coupon. And if you can’t check-​in or already used your offer, they usually have a 10−20% off coupon in the Alexandria Visitor’s guide and other local publications. I always try to purchase one item when I visit the store (because I strongly believe in the purpose), and it is usually hard to pick just one item… lots of cool stuff in there!

I love what this place stands for and it’s selection is unbeatable. Perfect if you are looking for a unique Mother’s Day or birthday gift. I received a beautiful piece of jewelry from one of these as a bridesmaids gift and wore it daily until it broke. It lasted a good long time, though!

Lovely store. Lovely mission, Super helpful and caring staff. Gorgeous crafts from around the world. Staff took the time to explain to my kids how craftmakers from around the world make the goods, and showed them a map with the participating countries posted.
Kudos to all involved with this lovely store!!!

Very friendly staff and has unique items.

I like all Ten Thousand Villages stores, but this location in particular is great. The staff is really helpful and friendly, and they have a great selection of gifts, jewelry, and housewares and tons of other stuff that is socially conscious and in many cases eco-​friendly.

I’ll admit to a heavy dose of skepticism when entering Ten Thousand Villages. Fair Trade? Isn’t that the touchy-​feely social responsibility ideology of long haired granola eating ex-​commies in bohemian chic outwear? I’ll keep my capitalism pure and grumpy, like a 19^th century British bowler wearing banker, thank you very much.
But then I started to explore the offerings of this shop and had an almost Dickensian epiphany: Wait a second, the local artisans are living in villages in parts of the world most Americans can’t identify on a map. They’re trying to sell a product to earn income to better their lives. Why, at it’s core that’s what capitalism is all about, selling goods to satisfy needs resulting in rising standards of living. I can bypass the meddling middleman and deal almost directly with the creator who lives thousands of miles away.
That’s actually not a bad idea.
I had no idea that Ten Thousand Villages are found across the country. This particular shop in Alexandria was a pleasure to browse and contained an object that intrigued me while my wife shopped: maps where the US is not at the center of everything and maps where the southern hemisphere is on top. Talk about a different perspective! Take that, Mercator projection!
One other standout feature: a bathroom for customer use.
The staff were friendly without being obnoxious or demanding, unlike salespeople who make it a point to stalk your every move and swoop in with suggestions based on the smallest movement towards an item. You’ll find plenty of soaps, musical instruments, jewelry and clothes from around the world. The shop does a fine job with browsing flow, keeping one’s interest as you take in the output of the world, one pan flute set at a time.

I walked in here on a Sunday night at 5:50. The store closes at 6. After browsing the store for a few minutes, starting from the back, I worked my way up to the front of the store, and was kindly greeted by an employee. She asked if I needed help looking for anything, and I openly revealed my dilemma, «I’m searching for a Secret Santa gift, but I know absolutely nothing about the girl whose name I chose.»
The wonderful employee gave me a nice tour of the jewelry section, since jewelry is always a safe bet. She has to have at least one thing in her closet that goes well with what I would soon select! The employee told me which items were the best sellers, which items she had recently sold, etc. I ultimately went with a necklace with turquoise jewels on a silver chain.
I could never really tell whether or not the employee was being so helpful because she wanted me to exit the store sooner rather than later since they were closing soon, or if she was always so helpful. I’m convincing myself the latter is the case.
I love that they have mini pieces of Divine Chocolate at the register for .25 cents. I can quickly satisfy by sweet cravings (which I always have) without feeling guilty!

First, let me say the one negative thing: this place is expensive. It can be very expensive.
Now that that’s out of the way, I’ll cover all the good stuff. This is a socially conscious place. The goods are all fair trade and they have already paid fair wages to the people that made the goods. I understand that: fair wages for (mostly) handmade goods + costs of import + normal store overhead = pricey merchandise. I can’t hold that against this store.
I’ve eyed a lot of products in here, but mostly come for the chocolate. I love dark chocolate, I love mint chocolate, and this place has delightful (fair trade) dark chocolate mint bars. There are a lot of other great merchandise such as a wide array of unique jewelry, home décor items, tea collections, books, etc.
The staff is very friendly and knowledgeable. If you’re interested in a product, they can tell you more about the people who made it and where money has gone. The store is conveniently located in the Old Town. The store itself has a pleasant vibe to it, smells earthy, has world music playing, and has a buzz that feels holiday-​esque (if that makes sense).

This quaint little store reminds me of Cost Plus, minus the furniture and food. They sell jewelry and accessories, books, houseware, etc. I love the concept, trying to sell items made from artisans around the world and paying them a fair wage.
The sales associates are incredibly friendly and helpful, helping me to find a birthday gift for my friend. I wanted to give her something from her country of Cambodia. I settled on a pair of earrings made from bomb casings into the shape of doves. The color almost looked like gold. I also picked a small, jeweled box made in India to place her jewelry.
Check this place out if you’re in the area the items in this store go to a good cause and does make for a meaningful gift to someone or a meaningful item in your own home.

I’m one of those dorks who scrutinizes coffee cans and chocolate bars at the store looking for the fair trade label… I like to make conscious choices about what I buy whenever I can. Which is why I love Ten Thousand Villages — well, one of the reasons. Everything in the store is fair trade and sustainably produced with most of the sales proceeds going directly back to the developing countries from which they came. I like that retail philosophy, despite recent criticisms of its merits.
But in addition to the socially– and environmentally-​conscious business model, Ten Thousand Villages products are just good stuff. Beautiful artwork, jewelry, clothing, accessories, and handicrafts. There are many TTV stores in the US, but this outlet in Old Town is a particularly nice one. It’s large and open, with items arranged by geographical location and function, and I love that the jewelry is organized along the rainbow spectrum. Pretty! Anything you buy here will enhance your home or a friend’s neckline. Also, you can ask the very friendly, always helpful sales associates to scan the SKU of any item you purchase, and they will hand you a print-​out with information about where the item came from, how it was made, and who made it.
Popped in last weekend to catch the tail-​end of one of their best sales of the year — 25%, 50%, and 75% off specially marked items — and walked out with a beautiful, hand-​carved bowl made from reclaimed boat/​house/​bridge wood buried in volcanic mud In Indonesia. It’s currently showcasing our peaches and plums…

There are a bunch of unique products in this store, and the mission of this company really made me want to buy something just to support them! Their website states «Ten Thousand Villages provides vital, fair income to Third World people by marketing their handicrafts and telling their stories in North America. Ten Thousand Villages works with artisans who would otherwise be unemployed or underemployed. This income helps pay for food, education, health care and housing.»
After exploring the entire store, I ended up purchasing the wide mouth fish candleholder. It was so unique I had to snatch it up! It was also very reasonably priced. I’m glad they still have places like these around to support those in need.

The concept and mission of Ten Thousand Villages is outstanding: fair trade products purchased from all over the world, the work of local artisans in the villages of far civilizations. I saw everything from carved wood puzzles from India to ladies’ apparel from Nepal. It’s quite an extensive, and eclectic, mix of clothing, toys, trinkets, and even musical instruments.
Items here range pretty steeply in price, but it seemed to me that costs were quite reasonable — much more so than I’ve seen at some other import shops. There were a small handful of pieces that I even considered purchasing as gifts, which is unusual for me, because I’m usually the pragmatic one that hates random trinkets. Definitely a little something from the most frugal to the most extravagant gifters.