A $2 donation or a bag of canned food will get shoppers access to the Village International Gift Shop's special Christmas fundraising sale Dec. 19 between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Those who donate will be able to buy store items at 15 per cent off. There will also be shelves with special deals where items are discounted by 50 per cent.
Two families will receive a food hamper created from the donated food, and food purchased with admission money.
Village International has been open for 23 years, and is located at 139 Durham Street.
“It is a once in a lifetime sale,” said Pauline Loyer, store manager.
She said that sales in her store had been unusually slow for this time of year. She said she believes this is because of the downturn in the economy.
Much of her selection is from third world artists and craftspeople who receive a fair return on their work and talents through the fairtrade principle, she said.
Amanda Wetherup, 18, said she couldn't wait for the big sale.
“My friend Rieta at work told me she loves to shop here, so I thought I would come by,” Wetherup said.
“She said there were all kinds of unique items. I had no idea they were also fair trade items.”
She bought some jewelry from Mexico, an angel Christmas ornament and another item from India.
“Jewelry is my biggest seller. I have a wall of jewelry items from Mexico,” Loyer said.
“Music balls are big sellers. They tinkle, taking your mind off any troubles you may have. They sell from $12.95 to $18.95.”
Just down the store wall is a collection of masks.
“They are good as wall ornaments. The masks are from the Serengeti area of Africa and from Indonesia. They are quite reasonably priced, on average from $7 to $25.”
For those with an environmental interest, there are Christmas cards made from a fast-growing weed called Kenaf.
“The Christmas cards are printed in Canada with the Kenaf weed grown in the United States. Normally the cards cost $4 but on Saturday they will be only $2.”
Other items, like hand-made wooden salad bowls made from one piece of wood, can be ordered in advance with payment upon arrival.
“I can order beautiful bowls made by Maasai tribesmen from a co-operative in the Serengeti area of Africa. They come in 11-inch and 14-inch sizes and are made from olive wood that grows there.”
Coffee addicts can appease their conscience with fair trade coffee.
“I have coffee from Sumatra and Nicaragua. I expect to have some in from Costa Rica by Saturday. It runs from $11.95 to $12.95 a package.”
Loyer even has chocolate bars from the Ivory Coast of Africa. A 100 gram package is priced at $5.75.
For more information, phone 524-2999.
