Village Fair pop-up shops aim to bring fair trade marketplace back to Waterloo Region
By Galen Simmons
A new Waterloo Region non-profit is hoping three weekends of pop-up shopping in New Hamburg will demonstrate there is still an appetite locally for fair trade products and the stories behind them.
The Village Fair will host a seasonal fair-trade pop-up at 112 Peel St. in New Hamburg Nov. 12-14, 19-21 and 26-28, offering handcrafted gifts and artisan products from around the world. For board treasurer Sharon Thiessen, who lives in Baden, the pop-up is also a test of whether the region could once again support a permanent fair-trade store.
“It’s a new local not-for-profit exploring whether there is still interest in the community to establish an ongoing fair-trade store,” Thiessen said. “Since Ten Thousand Villages closed, we’ve been hearing from people that there’s kind of a loss in the region for a familiar place for people to find and purchase fairly traded artisan products.”
The four-person organization includes people from Baden, New Hamburg and Waterloo, most of whom had some previous connection to Ten Thousand Villages. While the first pop-up is happening in New Hamburg, Thiessen said any future permanent store could ultimately be located elsewhere in Waterloo Region.
The Village Fair is partnering with the independently operated Ten Thousand Villages store in Cobourg, which will supply products for the sale and provide guidance as organizers recruit volunteers and gauge local interest.
For Thiessen, buying fair trade is about being intentional with where shopping dollars go.
“By promoting their trade, your purchases create a demand for these smaller artisans,” she said. “Fair trade treats these artisans as business partners. So, we’re supporting fair, dependable work for individuals globally.”
The pop-up will feature products from artisans in a number of countries, while hand-knotted rugs, primarily from Pakistan, will be available during the final two weekends. Thiessen said the rugs offer customers not only handmade products featuring traditional patterns, but an opportunity to learn more about the artisanship behind them.
The longer-term vision is for a marketplace supported in part by local volunteers, following the model used by many former Ten Thousand Villages stores. Volunteers could help with sales, packing products and sharing the stories behind the goods and the people who make them.
“We want to build something locally that really creates some global opportunities and global connections,” Thiessen said.
The Village Fair pop-up will be open Thursdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
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