Ten Thousand Villages Celebrates National Handmade Day Everyday By Suzy Nastaskin
Ten Thousand Villages Celebrates National Handmade Day Everyday
By Suzy Nastaskin
The first Saturday of April is National Handmade Day, but at Ten Thousand Villages, celebrating crafts made by skilled hands is an everyday event.
Located in the Redondo Beach Riviera Village and at Crafted in San Pedro, Ten Thousand Villages is a non-profit store that sells products hand crafted by artisans in developing countries who would otherwise struggle to earn a living.
Read the back of some of the greeting cards at Ten Thousand Villages and you’ll learn: “This card was created for you by women who have escaped sex trafficking in the Philippines. Your purchase provides jobs that enable these women to support their families.”
Other cards were hand crafted by young adults orphaned by the Rwandan genocide or diseases such as AIDS and malaria. The cards are signed by the artisans that made them.
From cards to kitchen items, home decor, jewelry, children’s goods and more, the fair-trade products at Ten Thousand Villages are sold with the goal of improving the lives of unemployed artisans, most of whom are women. The products are environmentally sensitive and reflect the cultural traditions of their country of origin. Colorful placemats, baskets and baby blankets, for example, are made from recycled sari cloth in Bangladesh. Bombshell jewelry, including earrings and necklaces, are wearable symbols of peace made from repurposed brass once used as bomb casings in Cambodia. The store also sells fair trade coffee and chocolate.
Ten Thousand Villages began in 1946 (under a different name) when Edna Ruth Byler, a member of the relief agency Mennonite Central Committee, traveled to Puerto Rico where she met a group of women struggling to feed their children. Having lived through hard times during the Depression, Edna knew the importance of dignity and a way to help oneself.
Edna saw the pieces of fine embroidery these women created but had no place to sell. She brought the embroidery home and sold them out of the trunk of her car to friends, explaining how each purchase meant a woman gained a brighter future for her family. Mennonite Central Committee recognized the long-term value that sustainable income opportunities would bring to impoverished villages and facilitated Edna’s travels to India and other countries to seek out more handicrafts. Her actions blossomed into a global fair trade movement, culminating in 1996 to what’s now called Ten Thousand Villages.
The genesis of the Riviera Village store began when five South Bay friends seeking to make a difference in the world formed a non-profit organization to raise funds to become part of the Ten Thousand Villages family. Rancho Palos Verdes resident Sandy Hammersmark, one of the founding members, has seen the store become a favorite for South Bay locals since it opened in 2014.
“Our customers love shopping at Ten Thousand Villages because each of our products are unique and reflect the intricate work of the artist who made them,” said Sandy. “Stepping inside the store is a rich sensory experience, with beautiful handmade items you can touch, hear and smell. And of course there’s the wonderful feeling you get from shopping with consciousness, knowing your purchase is helping others across the globe.”
The staff at Ten Thousand Villages exude enthusiasm, in large part because as volunteers, they truly believe in the store’s purpose. Ten Thousand Villages’ stores nationwide are run by more than 1,000 volunteers, with paid positions only for store managers. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact the store as they are always looking to add volunteers.
You can help break the cycle of generational poverty by buying your next birthday, special occasion or thank you gift at Ten Thousand Villages. Ten Thousand Villages is located in the Riviera Village at 1907 S. Catalina Avenue, Redondo Beach, 310-465-1600 and at Crafted in the Port of Los Angeles at 112 E. 22nd St, booth 173, San Pedro. To purchase their products online, visit tenthousandvillagesredondo.com. Curbside pickup and private VIP in-store shopping is available by contacting the Redondo Beach store.
Suzy Nastaskin was born and raised in the South Bay and sits on the Board of Directors of Ten Thousand Villages Redondo. She worked for many years in public relations in Southern California and New York City.