Fair Trade and St. Valentine - A Great Pair!

Ten Thousand Villages at Willistead Manor

We are privileged to have been chosen to provide some of our beautifully handcrafted items which are included in the wonderful Christmas Holiday displays at one of Windsor’s historic homes. Be sure to visit Willistead … and drop into our Windsor store, just two blocks North of Willistead Park and Manor, where you will be amazed at our varied selection of gifts from around the world.



Photo courtesy of Kevin Brown

Christmas at the Manor on now!

Sundays, December 5, 12, 19 from 1 - 4 p.m. and Wednesdays, December 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 from 7 - 9 p.m. - $5 admission

IN THE MANOR & COACH HOUSE ... 1899 Niagara Street (at Kildare Street, Windsor)
Come see the Manor in all its holiday glory! The Friends of Willistead plan this event all year long. All rooms are decorated with beautiful holiday themes. Knowledgeable tour guides will be on hand to give you information about the Manor as well as answer your questions. Groups of 25 or more may book a private tour through the office.
It's a great way to get yourself into the holiday spirit! See you there!

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7th Annual Olde Walkerville Holiday Walkabout – Fri. Nov. 19 & Sat. Nov.20, 2010

START YOUR HOLIDAY SHOPPING EARLY

Celebrate at this popular neighbourhood event as we prepare for the Christmas Holiday season. There's something for everyone ... but for the really special gifts from around the world be sure to visit the Ten Thousand Villages Windsor store. In addition to the beautifully handcrafted gifts, don't forget to arrange for a Living Gift To read more about Living Gifts ... click here... and remember that your purchases will make a difference for our artisan partners ... (and we can tell you who made your gift purchase and where it came from).

Friday – the store will open at its regular time: 10:00 am – the special Holiday Walk activities will take place from 4 pm until 9 pm. Saturday, the store will be open from 10 am to 6 pm; with Holiday Walk activities throughout the day.


Santa and his elves will be at the store from 6 pm until 8 pm on Friday; on Saturday from 11 am to 1 pm and again from 4 pm to 6 pm.


In addition to our special displays for holiday gift giving: there will be a draw for a Gift Basket (customers will receive a ballot with purchases); we will be serving our superb Fair Trade Hot Chocolate, Coffee and Cookies (as a small gift to you); an artist will be painting unique designs on hands with Henna (for a modest charge). From 2 to 2:30 pm on Saturday our story tellers will enthral their listeners with Story Time for Kids (4+).


On Sunday we will be open at our usual hours, from noon until 4 pm ... there will be Sunday session of Story Time for Kids from 2 until 2:30pm.

Floods in Pakistan affecting our artisan partners

We have been reading, hearing and seeing pictures about the terrible catastrophe which has literally swept down upon the people of Pakistan, you may even have relatives or friends whose lives have been impacted.


At Ten Thousand Villages we have artisan partners who are affected, they are in some ways part of our extended family; for with us and many other Fair Trade organizations, Fair Trade is different … we talk a lot about paying a fair wage but in the wake of a natural disaster like this, the other aspects of Fair Trade can really be seen. Bunyaad, the artisan group supplying us with rugs, includes more than 820 families in 100 villages around Lahore, Pakistan; they have implemented a support plan to assist artisans with rebuilding some vital needs, such as food and lost wages. With the rugs on looms in these regions, damage will be covered by the artisan group and assistance will be given to the family once they are back in their homes to help them get back to work quickly. Village supervisors in this region along with Bunyaad’s staff will quickly help to replace looms that have been lost in the flood. You can read about this by linking to copies of reports from Ten Thousand Villages Rug Program Director, Yousaf Chaman … Read more ...

Many of you will remember that earlier this year Ten Thousand Villages Windsor held their annual Rug Event; we do not presently have rugs in our store, but rugs are available from our warehouse and if you are considering buying a rug, we invite you to consider buying your rug from Ten Thousand Villages, our prices are very reasonable and the quality is excellent. You may have read in one of Yousaf’s reports: … Nasir said: “Tell them to buy a rug. The more we can get our artisans back to work and keep them working full-time on the loom, the greater hopes these artisans have for rebuilding their communities and their lives.”

There are 444 rugs in the Canadian inventory stock … remember, we are a non-profit organization, primarily staffed by dedicated volunteers … our founding parent is Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), which has already responded to the disaster. We want to contribute to assist our artisan partners, so, if you drop into our store, we will help you navigate the Canadian Inventory list, so that you can select the size and type of rug you would like, and also see the patterns available. Our manager will explain about the arrangements for shipping and your approval process.

Before you search our online Canadian Inventory List take a moment to check out the links below. They will provide detailed information to help you as you browse. Additionally we have a list of answers to our most frequently asked customer questions.

•  Types and Designs

•  Determining Rug Size

•  Frequently Asked Questions about Rugs

Please keep the people of Pakistan in your thoughts and prayers as they struggle for their existence.