Ten Thousand Villages of Huron Valley is a franchise organizations that is part of the greater Ten Thousand Villages organization. Ten Thousand Villages is a nonprofit, self-supporting alternative trading organization (ATO). They sell Fair Trade artifacts, cloth, and foodstuffs.

The Ann Arbor store opened its doors on Main Street in October, 2004, becoming the first Fair Trade, non-profit handicraft retail store in the city. Two years earlier, a local group of committed individuals came together to form a Board of Directors, and organizers held off-site sales and fundraisers to turn their vision of a Ten Thousand Villages store into a reality. In less than a year since it opened its doors, the Ann Arbor store is proud to rank as one of the most successful stores in a chain of over 200 stores in the U.S. and Canada.

Fair Trade is the focus of the store. The objectives of Fair Trade are to empower low-income artisans and farmers around the globe to better their conditions and to promote understanding and opportunities for artisans, many of whom would otherwise be unemployed or underemployed. Ten Thousand Villages works to ensure that the people who make the products sold in the store are paid fairly for their work. The store believes that the ethics of fair trade motivate customers to return.

Websites:

• http://www.tenthousandvillages.com/
• Ten Thousand Villages of Huron Valley (Ann Arbor)
• Ten Thousand Villages of Huron Valley Mission Statement