Villages Calgary: Calgary's One Stop Christmas / Gift Shop!
Recently on a whim, I decided to go into Villages Calgary (220 Crowchild Trail NW), while on enroute to Sunterra Market, (Kensington Road) in West Hillhurst three blocks from my house.
Well, not really on a whim. I was drawn to their window decorated with dozens of hand-made Christmas Tree ornaments.
Once inside I was gobsmacked by the sheer number and variety of Christmas tree ornaments. I had to ask, “How many ornaments to do you have and how many different types?
Something For Everyone
The volunteer smiled and said let me check…turns out they had 1935 ornaments left and 135 different ornaments (as of my November 21 visit).
FYI: Villages Calgary is a fair trade store that partners with artisans from financially underprivileged communities around the world – 39 different countries on four different continents. All items are professionally presented in an upscale boutique-like setting.
Wandering the two-story shop, located just a long-jump from Calgary’s busy Crowchild Trail, I was impressed by the selection of quality crafts, fashions and foods available at what I think are very good prices.
There are baskets from Rwanda, wooden board games from India, fabric wall hangings from Peru, hats and mitts from Nepal, Peru and Bolivia, women’s clothing from India and Nepal and hand knotted rugs from Pakistan.
In addition, there is a good selection of fair trade coffees, teas, chocolate and other speciality foods from various third world communities.
Fun Find: They even have greeting cards and recycled note paper boxes made with 30% Sri Lanka elephant poo and 70% recycled paper. How cool/unique/gross is that?
One could probably do a lot of one’s Christmas shopping here, I thought. Heck you could do a lot of your gift giving shopping year-round here. And, yes there is plenty of free parking next to the building. So next time you are driving north on Crowchild Trail, turn in at 2nd Ave NW and do some shopping – it is an easy right turn in and then back out again. (Side Note: with Jan’s Deli right across the street, park once and pick up some European delights at the same time.)
Villages Calgary History (from website)
Back in the early ‘80s, Calgarian Erna Klippenstein searched for a way to reach out to disadvantaged artisans in developing communities. Erna and her family had owned and operated a tool rental business at 220 Crowchild Trail NW (the current location of Villages Calgary) and made their building available to initiate the “Self-help Crafts of the World Program” of the Mennonite Central Committee.
In October 1984, Global Village Crafts opened its doors. Erna told the stories about the artisans (those without healthcare, safe drinking water, sanitation, food and educational opportunities) to everyone who came in to shop. She believed deeply in the rights of the producers and their children to live lives of dignity, and felt it was her responsibility to tell their stories.
In 1996, the store name changed to Ten Thousand Villages. The mission was to market the crafts of artisans living in poverty and to tell their stories with the aim of providing long term sustainable incomes. The Crowchild Trail store grew from one room manned entirely by volunteers using handwritten receipts to the current two floors of beautiful handcrafted gifts from around the world.
Then in 2020, with the demise of Ten Thousand Villages, the name was changed to Villages Calgary. The store is independently owned and operated through the non-profit Global Village Crafts Society and is governed by a board of passionate members who employ a manager to run the store and oversee the work of 60 dedicated volunteers. Villages Calgary is committed to empowering the marginalized, to supporting fair trade values and environmentally sustainable practices, and to providing a place full of beautiful, functional items to customers.
The commitment of Villages Calgary to these values is just as strong today as when the store opened in 1984. They are currently hosting partnership events sharing 15% of the profits with various Calgary charities.
FYI: The have a good website for online shopping, or doing some research before you go. Hours are Monday to Saturday 10 to 6 pm, Sundays: 12 to 4 pm.
Mural
Not only is Calgary Villages a fun place to shop, it is also home to one of my favourite Calgary murals. On the building’s south side, (facing the northbound Crowchild Trail traffic) is a mural created by Daniel J. Kirk, one of Calgary’s leading mural and public art creators.
It is a delightful piece with several people of colour going about their everyday activities.
On the left-hand side of the mural are two hands - one dark skinned and one lighter – looking like they are working together to pick something off a plant. The mural’s palette of earthy browns and greens creates a very organic sense of place, which is appropriate for the mantra of Villages Calgary. Above the mural are the words “Ten Thousand Villages,” a connection to the past, but also to the present as Villages Calgary strives to help create a better life for thousands of people living in villages around the word.
If you like off-the-beaten-path shopping, as well as, supporting underprivileged communities, Villages Calgary may well be a place you’ll want to do some Christmas shopping this year.
Last Word
As an everyday tourist, whose travel has been curtailed by COVID, I enjoyed how in a subtle way Villages Calgary let me travel to other countries. It reminded me there is a bigger world out there and how fortunate I am to live in Canada and Calgary. It was also a reminded - there are often interesting places just around the corner.