| rev:text
| - I stop by Ten Thousand Villages when I'm hunting for unique presents for friends. All of the items are produced in impoverished areas of the world, where the craftspeople are offered a fair wage for the products they make. While I can't argue with the virtue in this endeavor, the prices here are often pretty steep, certainly beyond my modest student budget much of the time.
Most of the items are handmade crafts or decorations: carved figures, picture frames, and tapestries. They also have a small table of fair-trade coffees and chocolates. When I'm shopping for a female friend, I like to browse their wall of women's accessories (earrings, necklaces, and scarves), which are priced reasonably given the quality of the items (usually $30 or under for most pieces).
For the holidays, they offer lots of themed items, like painted tree ornaments and manger dioramas. Although much of their holiday merchandise carries Christian motifs, the staff have been very considerate and helpful in suggesting more Hanukkah-ish gifts for my Jewish friends.
The best part about buying a gift here (especially during the holidays) is that your item will usually be wrapped in tissue and boxed for you. Some of the items include special informational cards that provide background on the gift you've just purchased or the group of people who crafted it. When your friends receive their gifts, they'll know that it was fairly traded for the benefit of needy people from another country.
|