Annual E.C. Global Market Offers Sustainable Gift Ideas From 40 Countries
this volunteer-driven market will return Nov. 8, proceeds benefit people and programs throughout the world
There’s more than enough trouble to go around in the world, as a glance at any given day’s news headlines will tell you. Natural disaster, war, political instability, famine – the list is as old as humanity itself. And it can be numbing: “Compassion fatigue” is a real phenomenon, both among front-line workers in traumatic situations and those of us at a distance who feel helpless to ease the world’s pain.
Fortunately, there are ways, small and local, to fight this phenomenon. In the Chippewa Valley, one of those ways is attending the Eau Claire Global Market, which this year will be 9am-3pm on Saturday, Nov. 8, at First Congregational United Church of Christ in Eau Claire.
The local, volunteer-driven event is truly global in impact, featuring approximately 20 vendors selling handcrafted wares and food items with proceeds going toward people and programs in the developing world.
“The overall purpose of the Eau Claire Global Market is to support global efforts that promote social and economic sustainability,” Sandy Ayres, a member of the volunteer committee that organizes the annual event, said.
(For the purposes of full disclosure, my wife, Tiffany, is also one of the event’s organizers. And while I’ve received no direct financial compensation for writing this article, I will indirectly benefit from decreased spousal anxiety if a significant fraction of those reading this spend a few bucks at the sale. The more dollars you spend, the fewer my wife will feel obligated to spend!)
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WE HAVE VENDORS FROM MORE THAN 40 COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD.
Artisans, often from marginalized or disadvantaged communities, provide beautiful hand-crafted products frequently using materials and resources specific to their country or culture. We bring in vendors that ensure fair trade practices are implemented, providing the artisans fair wages.
SANDY AYRES
VOLUNTEER ORGANIZER, EAU CLAIRE GLOBAL MARKET
Think of the Eau Claire Global Market as a trip to the United Nations that can fill every need on your holiday shopping list. This year’s sale features bags and purses made with vibrant fabrics by artisans in Togo; silver jewelry from Nepal; mittens and slippers from Azerbaijan; recycled glass beads and handmade batiks from Ghana; and countless other items from South Africa, Cambodia, India, Mexico, Uganda, Kenya, Thailand, Ecuador, Mozambique, Vietnam, Peru, Chile, Egypt, Ghana, Nicaragua, and beyond.
“We have vendors from more than 40 countries around the world,” Ayres adds. “Artisans, often from marginalized or disadvantaged communities, provide beautiful hand-crafted products frequently using materials and resources specific to their country or culture. We bring in vendors that ensure fair trade practices are implemented, providing the artisans fair wages.”
Among the longtime favorites that shoppers will find as they wind their way through the hallways of the historic church are shopping bags made from upcycled plastic rice bags, sold to benefit Cité Soleil Community School, a free school in an impoverished neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
The market will also showcase goods from Twin Cities-based Fair Anita, which works with women in nine countries to produce fashionable clothing, bags, and jewelry, as well as items from Global Mamas, which sells clothing, jewelry, bath and body goods, and more created by more than 400 “mamas” in Ghana.
When asked what she looks forward to the most about the market, Ayres said it’s hard to choose one thing. “I look forward to reconnecting with our vendors that return year after year, but it is also very fun to welcome new vendors,” she said. “The same goes for our shoppers. We have many repeat shoppers, but also every year there are new faces that, without exception, vow to be back next year.
"Every year I find items to purchase for myself as well as gifts for others. It is a great feeling to find beautiful and unique items and know that my purchases contribute to the support of these artisans from around the world!”
(And, from the admittedly self-interested perspective of this writer, supporting those artisans has the added benefits of warm fuzzies for you and tranquility for my hard-working wife.)
The Eighth Annual Eau Claire Global Market will be hosted from 9am-3pm on Saturday, Nov. 8 at the First Congregational Church of Christ (310 Broadway St., Eau Claire). To learn more, visit @eauclaireglobalmarket on Facebook or online at ecglobalmarketgifts@gmail.com
