Ten Thousand Villages is a store with a social concience. All the items available are fair trade and support the development of local economies in the far-flung lands they came from. Even though the selection is from all over, they have some unifying themes to their materials (they group them by color in the store, etc) so it's not just eclectic madness. The nativity scene selection is quite nice, as are the housewares (tableclothes and such). I personally enjoy the purses and the jewlry - I frequently come here when I'm on the search for a unique gift. Not only do people love the stuff, I feel much better afterwards than I do when shopping at places like World Market and Pier One. The prices are quite affordable. The staff is volunteer, and they're usually open to training new volunteers - this is a great way to get involved in the community. Since they're volunteers, the staff is quite nice and a lot of fun to talk to. Make an afternoon of it!
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