Help Ten Thousand Villages Albany Open New Contract Store

Hello!

We are raising startup funds to help continue our mission of our former Ten Thousand Villages Albany store. After 24 years at Stuyvesant Plaza, the corporate office decided on Jan 8 to close the 13 company stores to focus on e-commerce and wholesale.

We are planning on continuing on as 518 Fair Trade Artisans, Inc. a Ten Thousand Villages Gift Shop. We were required to open our own nonprofit organization so that we can continue on as a fair trade retailer in the capital region. We will no longer be company-funded and therefore need help with startup expenses for our new location.

We have found a new location in East Greenbush, NY at 700 Columbia Turnpike. It was the former location of the Sweater Venture, a fair trade retailer for over 20 years, before their retirement in 2022. We are currently working with the property owner to secure a lease but need your help with expenses such as rent, deposit, insurance, and other necessary startup costs.

We are also going to be adding local artisans to our fair trade mission to help bring together the community and empower others. We have applied with NY State for charity nonprofit status and will also be filing for our Federal tax-exempt status.

Thank you so much for your support so that we may continue to offer fair trade and help our community!