Ten Thousand Villages in Oak Park

05/02/2025

https://gofund.me/9991ca90

Help Bring Fair-Trade Back to Oak Park! On March 31st, after 17 years,… Mike Burris needs your support for Revive Fair-Trade in Oak Park: Donate Today

02/23/2025

In the market for store fixtures? Priced to sell! Many more items than what is pictured here, including jewelry displays.

02/22/2025

Time to Say Goodbye

For 18 years, Ten Thousand Villages has had an indelible presence in Oak Park. We exist because an ambitious and determined group of individuals envisioned a community of customers and volunteers working together to benefit global artisans. Through hard work and perseverance, they turned that vision into reality, and the world is better for it.

To our customers: You supported the mission with every purchase. You promoted the mission with every gift shared with others. In tough economic times, you willingly shelled out a few extra dollars because you knew your money was going toward a worthwhile cause. For all this and more, we thank you.

To our volunteers: Whether you served on the board, worked on a committee, assisted shoppers, checked in merchandise, mentored new volunteers, helped with off-site sales, or organized fundraisers and social outings, your dedication to the store allowed us to keep our doors open as long as we did. You gave your time, your energy, your creativity, your knowledge, your heart. For all this and more, we thank you.

To our staff: Managing a non-profit retail environment is not for the faint of heart, especially when your workforce consists of dozens of volunteers working just three hours a week. To do your job–be it ordering merchandise, advertising, recruiting and training volunteers, running off-site sales, staging the store, etc.--you had to put purpose ahead of pay. You took work home. You put in sweat equity. For all this and more, we thank you.

Our store is now closed for business, but you can continue to support fair trade by shopping at our Evanston and Glen Ellyn stores, and online at tenthousandvillages.com. Our store fixtures are for sale, so if you’re in the market for shelving units or display cases, we hope you will pop by. We are just starting to explore ways to bring fair trade back to the Oak Park area in the form of a new venture, and will again be counting on this incredible community to help make it happen.

Until we meet again….

Discover a world of ethically sourced, handcrafted goods and unique gifts at Ten Thousand Villages. We are a non-profit retailer committed to fair trade practices, empowering artisans from around the globe. Explore our collections today and make a positive impact with every purchase.

02/20/2025

As our time in Oak Park draws to a close, we want to acknowledge some of the volunteers who made it all possible!

Indu has been volunteering at TTV for about 18 months. She works as a librarian at a private university. She says she will most miss the friendly and warm environment cultivated by the other volunteers, the staff, and the customers. "I made some good friends." With her time at our store coming to an end, she plans to look for other volunteer opportunities, preferably in the non-profit sector.

02/20/2025

As our time in Oak Park draws to a close, we want to acknowledge some of the volunteers who made it all possible!

Karen has been a volunteer on the sales floor since retiring in 2011 from her position as an HR Executive with the Federal Aviation Administration. Her favorite things about the store include its “awesome mission, its beautiful merchandise, and its role in making Downtown Oak Park a better place.” She plans to continue traveling, gardening, reading, and helping her 4 and 6 year old great nieces learn to sew, and hopes she can find another volunteer gig she’ll love as much as TTV. “I will miss the people!! - - the staff, the customers, and most of all, my volunteer friends. I’ll also miss helping people pick out that perfect gift for someone and watching them leave the store happy.”

02/17/2025

As our time in Oak Park draws to a close, we want to acknowledge some of the volunteers who made it all possible!

Barb has been volunteering for 6 years. She is a registered nurse, and always found it fun learning about the vendors and their crafts. She will continue to volunteer for the food pantry at her church, and says she will miss the people she worked with at the store. We'll miss her, too!

02/17/2025

As our time in Oak Park draws to a close, we want to acknowledge some of the volunteers who made it all possible!

Kathie is a retired family physician who has volunteered at TTV for 16 years (!!!), working the sales floor and, at one time, serving on the board. She is an avid gardener, and enjoys caring for her pets (dog, birds, and fish) and spending time with family and friends. She has several other volunteer gigs to keep her busy, including working with the Friends of the Oak Park Conservatory, tutoring with the Dominican Literacy Center, and helping with the Migrant Ministry in Oak Park. Of her time with the store, Kathie says, “I will miss the beautiful people I worked with, and also the wonderful merchandise.”

02/17/2025

As our time in Oak Park draws to a close, we want to acknowledge some of the volunteers who made it all possible!

Tony has been volunteering at TTV for the past 18 months, sharing product information with customers and stocking merchandise. He studied world cultures at Knox College, which prepared him well for his experience with us! He loved telling customers about his first visit to the store at eight years old, and how the singing bowls were the first thing he was ever shown. He will especially miss telling first-time customers about the store, acquainting them with what we do. Says Tony, “I feel a sense of gratitude for Ten Thousand Villages in Oak Park, especially after realizing the full purpose of the store.” Tony currently volunteers at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum and the Field Museum, and will likely seek out additional volunteer opportunities.

02/17/2025

As our time in Oak Park draws to a close, we want to acknowledge some of the volunteers who made it all possible!

Mary has been volunteering on the sales floor at Ten Thousand Villages for 3 years. Retired from her position as an Administrative Assistant at Kraft, she currently writes the bulletins for multiple churches, volunteers at Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Museum and previously at Brookfield Zoo, and loves golfing and quilting. She will miss getting out and talking to her fellow volunteers and TTV shoppers, and may well seek out another volunteer opportunity to fill the void.

02/17/2025

As our time in Oak Park draws to a close, we want to acknowledge some of the volunteers who made it all possible!

Adrien has been a store volunteer since 2018, and is our resident technology guru. She is an IT Support Specialist at Dominican University, and plans to continue her education in pursuit of a career prioritizing social good and advocating for prosocial technology design practices. “I'll most miss the TTV Oak Park community of volunteers and staff. I’ll miss walking into the store on Saturday afternoon after a long week, being so happy to see everyone and everyone looking so happy to see me. I’ll miss working towards a mission of relieving economic and social inequities alongside others who believe in that mission. I’ll miss our little store serving as a reminder that there are people in my community and across the world who value fair trade gifts, socially responsible business, and positive social interaction above convenience, for whatever the individual reason.”

02/12/2025

As our time in Oak Park draws to a close, we want to acknowledge some of the volunteers who made it all possible!

Kathryn has been an indispensable member of the unpacking team at TTV since 2015. She has worked in communications throughout her professional life, and is currently a business writer “gliding into retirement”. She will miss “the sheer fun of unpacking merchandise and getting it out to our customers…being involved in the store’s mission…getting to know our other volunteers…knowing that our store has been an essential part of Oak Park for decades.” Kathryn plans to continue her travels, enjoy time with grandchildren, do project work, and stay involved with the other organizations for which she volunteers.

02/11/2025

As our time in Oak Park draws to a close, we want to acknowledge some of the volunteers who made it all possible!

Ann has been volunteering with TTV for seven years--on the sales floor, the Board, and the Finance and Fundraising committees. A former speech pathologist, she began her career in education, first in California, and later, UIC. After taking time at home to raise her kids, she spent 25 years as the Development Director for a regional planning and public policy non-profit. Besides TTV, Ann has volunteered for D97 and 200 schools, Hatch School PTO, the Village Manager Association (now defunct), and worked as the primary fundraiser for the group that brought Judy Chicago’s massive feminist art work, The Dinner Party, to Chicago.

She will miss the people of Ten Thousand Villages–the board members, staff, and volunteers who are like “a family” with a shared commitment to the store. Going forward, she will continue to be involved in First United Church and its mission programs, and seek out another volunteer opportunity that will help her “stretch her horizons”, just as TTV did.