Ten Thousand Villages departure from Canada 'extremely sad'

A 30-year volunteer with Ten Thousand Villages in Charlottetown says the end of distribution in Canada is a loss both for the artisan suppliers and for the people who shopped at the markets.

For decades, Ten Thousand Villages pop-up markets have been part of Christmas on P.E.I., connecting Islanders with thousands of artisans from more than 30 countries. The markets sold food products, home decor, jewelry and many other items.

Shelley MacEwen, organizer of the market at Park Royal Church, volunteered for decades at the markets, and would often offer this advice to people.

"I said 'Come to the sale,'"MacEwentold CBC Radio: Island Morning Friday.

"Don't buy, just come in and absorb all those countries that are represented in one room, and you get quite a feel for what you see and how other people live in the world."

This week, Ten Thousand Villages announced this week poor sales are forcing the closure of its Canadian distribution centre, bringing to an end the holiday tradition of pop-up markets around the country.

A loss all around

It was just too difficult to compete with online retailers, MacEwen said, adding that online shopping will still be an option for Canadian Ten Thousand Villages customers.

"I'm extremely sad for what I will miss," she said.

"On the bigger picture you have to look at all the artisans that that potentially can lose their market for selling their product. So I think that's where my heart mostly lies."

Ten Thousand Villages is one of the oldest fair-trade organizations in North America, operating for almost 75 years. A fair deal for the artisans is what came first, said MacEwen, not profit.

Apart from international connections, MacEwen said Ten Thousand Villages brought together people on the Island. She had dozens of volunteers who worked on the market she organized at Park Royal Church.

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