History
Ten Thousand Villages Mishawaka opened in October 1992 as Global Gifts of Mishawaka. The store was started as a service program by Kern Road Mennonite Church. The church felt that it wanted to support what was then called Self-Help Crafts and the artisans supported by that organization. The original store was located in a former military recruitment office on McKinley Avenue, next to Tradewinds Restaurant. Ten years later, when Ten Thousand Villages USA incorporated, our local store changed its name to become a contract store. In 2008 TTV Mishawaka moved to Centennial Place, NE of UP Mall between Grape and Main.
Specialties
A fair trade retailer of artisan-crafted home decor, personal accessories and gift items from across the globe. Featuring products from more than 130 artisan groups in some 38 countries, we are part of a network of over 390 retail outlets throughout the United States selling Ten Thousand Villages products. As one of the world's oldest and largest fair trade organizations, Ten Thousand Villages has spent more than 60 years cultivating trading relationships in which artisans receive a fair price for their work and consumers have access to distinctive handcrafted items. We seek to establish long-term buying relationships in places where skilled artisans are under- or unemployed, and in which they lack other opportunities for income. A founding member of the World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO), Ten Thousand Villages sees fair trade as an alternative approach to conventional international trade.