Julie Becker and Kate McMahon of Ten Thousand Villages.
Thirteen-year-old Sage Boucher knew it was International Women’s Day on March 8. She alerted her family to the fact when she checked her social media in the morning: “Tumblr had it, and I always check Google graphics first thing because if something is going on, the graphic will hint at it.” They were going to get cupcakes to celebrate.
Sage loves the idea of celebrating women. She wishes more people knew about this day. Her sister, Sierra, said, “International Women’s Day is important because women aren’t a minority, but they are often treated that way, so this is a chance to honor women and bring attention to the fact that women need support. Women have, like, their own culture, too — so this is a way to celebrate that. “
Sage’s family was delighted to find the store, Ten Thousand VIllages, at 915 King S., on their way to get cupcakes. It was just the right place to celebrate International Women’s Day. Started in 1946 by Edna Ruth Byler, a pioneering businesswoman, the textile and crafts marketing idea ignited a global movement. Byler had travelled to Puerto Rico, was shocked at the poverty she found there, and began purchasing the local needlework to sell to her friends and neighbors in central Pennsylvania. She sold items out of the trunk of her car. As the wife of a Mennonite Central Committee administrator, she soon attracted the attention of the committee, and in 1962, the committee adopted the “Overseas Needlepoint and Crafts Project” as an official program. This evolved into SelfHelp: Crafts of the World, with sales topping $3.6 million, and then became Ten Thousand VIllages. The King Street store opened in 1994.
The King Street store buys from Fair Trade vendors of crafts, almost entirely made by women in countries below the poverty line. Artisans receive up to 50 percent in cash advances when an order is placed, and payment in full when the order is shipped, said Kate McMahon, manager of the King Street store. “That way, the burden of selling is on the store, not the artisans.”
McMahon chooses items which are unique, buying 80 percent from the Ten Thousand VIllages network, and 20 percent from other Fair Trade sources.
Ten Thousand Villages volunteer Julie Becker has been with the store for 17 years. She was on the board a few times as well, donating her time and watching the business grow. Ten Thousand Villages National Capital Area is about to open a second store in Washington, D.C. It has 80 stores in the U.S., and over $20 million in sales.
On March 8, the store donated a portion of its profits for the day to the Domestic Violence Program, a City of Alexandria program to prevent domestic partner violence. McMahon said they would be able to donate $250-$300 to the program by the end of the day. McMahon organizes events year round to do this kind of benefit to local organizations.
The full schedule of events is available on their website, www. tenthousandvillages.com/Alexandria or at Facebook.com/villagesalexandria and Instagram.com/villagesalex.