Thank you to those who stopped by and shared stories, purchased items, and have supported us first as Ten Thousand Villages, Seattle and then as Seattle Fair Trade. We will miss you! ~Seattle Fair Trade Board of Directors

THANK YOU!

Thank you for helping to support the fair trade movement and artisans locally and around the world. We are very sad that after twenty plus years, we are closing our Roosevelt neighborhood location and dissolving the nonprofit. Our board voted unanimously to close for economic reasons. We, as have many local businesses, have felt the pinch since 2020 and even with a few generous donations to help us, it has been a struggle to keep our fair trade venture afloat.

HOURS OF OPERATION

PERMANENTLY CLOSED

Our History

Seattle Fair Trade started in Seattle in 1991 as Ten Thousand Villages - Seattle, which was a branch of the national organization Ten Thousand Villages. The organization was unofficially founded in the 1940s by Edna Ruth Byler, a Mennonite woman in Pennsylvania. During a vacation in Puerto Rico with her husband, Byler discovered embroidery made by women of La Plata. She was fascinated by the beauty of these textiles and brought pieces home to sell to her neighbors and friends, which gave birth to Ten Thousand Villages. Today, it is a founding member of the World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO). After operating for a few years in downtown Seattle near Pike Place Market, Ten Thousand Villages - Seattle moved to its current location in the thriving Roosevelt neighborhood in 2000.

In 2023, we decided to branch out on our own to promote fair trade products by artisans globally beyond those served only by Ten Thousand Villages, including those in our local Pacific Northwest. We now are excited to serve our community as Seattle Fair Trade.