In the June 26 episode of the Local Voices Bluffton podcast, hosts Sam Springer and Jim Enneking interview Wendy Chappell-Dick, manager of Ten Thousand Villages in Bluffton, Ohio.

Chappell-Dick shares the history of the store, tracing back to Edna Ruth Byler, who started a fair-trade movement 75 years ago by selling needlework made by women in Puerto Rico. Wendy explains how the movement grew, leading to the establishment of the first storefront in Bluffton in 1974, originally called Self Help Crafts.

She highlights the store’s impact on artisans worldwide and its ongoing mission to provide a stable market for their products.

Ten Thousand Villages will celebrate a grand reopening in August after a store renovation.

The podcast emphasizes the importance of community support and the store’s connection to the Bluffton Center for Entrepreneurs (BCE), which aids local businesses through initiatives like the business plan competition. 

For more information on the 50th Annaversary of Et Cetera Shop, Inc, check out www.etceterashop50.com.