Unique shopping experience just for kids

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This article was published 23/11/2023 (719 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A downtown Brandon store is offering a unique experience that will let kids do the shopping for that hard-to-buy-for person in their life, with ethical gifts from all around the world.

Ten Thousand Villages Brandon will dedicate a day for the little shoppers with its inaugural Children’s Holiday Stop and Shop, Saturday, Dec. 2 from 1 to 4 p.m., said store manager Stephanie De la Luz.

The back of the store, usually closed off to the public, is about to undergo a transformation and will become the space dedicated to kids only.

“We’ll decorate so it will be all Christmas, with music and staff buzzing around, with tables set up with all of our options to buy,” said De la Luz. “Staff will help the kids with their purchases, do some gift wrapping and provide treats at the end of the experience. So it’s going to be a lovely, wonderful time.”

The idea came to board members as they were discussing ways to get children excited about Christmas, said board chair Brenda Carvey-Cristall, who has a background in daycare and child care.

“We wanted to appeal to children,” said Carvey-Cristall. “It’s good to get children involved, it helps them with the joy of giving with the aspects of Christmas and doing their own shopping — as opposed to just tagging along,” Carvey-Cristall said.

“Why not let them be independent to show that, ‘I can go in here and I can shop.’ They’ll have the help of an adult to give them some pride that they can do it, too.”

With a younger person’s budget in mind, Carvey-Cristall said they have already started a list of items they think will be suitable in the $5 to $20 price range.

Once the children arrive, staff will check with the parents or accompanying adults to confirm the spending limit.

While the adults are browsing in the front of the store, the kid customers will be guided to their private shopping area with the applicable items including jewelry, chocolate, coffee, tree ornaments — even socks.

The gifts will appeal to those who are conscious about price, as well as where the gift has come from, De la Luz told the Sun.

“We are a fair trade store, and that means that we offer a fair wage to artisans who are in all different countries around the world, specifically countries where there’s usually more poverty. And we give artisans the chance to be offered a fair wage, unlike some of your bigger box stores who may purchase items in other ways.

“So, we support community, we support women. We don’t have child labour practices. We support the environment and many more initiatives through fair trade practices,” De la Luz said.

The purchase of one pair of Conscious Step socks provides a family with access to clean water for four years through an organization called water.org, according to Ten Thousand Villages Brandon’s Facebook page. Through an affordable loan program, families are able to install water or sanitation solutions for their homes, which provides safe water to drink.

The Level Ground coffee is sourced from more than 5,000 small-scale, family-owed farms across seven countries. It’s sold through a member-owned co-operative that puts the money from the purchases into water sanitation and health care in each contributing community.

Adding to the excitement for De la Luz and Carvey-Cristall, the day they chose for their Children’s Holiday Stop and Shop is also Ten Thousand Villages Brandon’s 33rd anniversary, so all shoppers can take advantage of fair-trade snacks, coffee samples, and a chance to win a door prize.

It will be a true sense of community, said De la Luz.

“It’s always good to get kids involved in the gift-giving process and to have them explore the possibilities of ethical gifts as they learn and grow and get something for their loved ones. I think it’s just fantastic to offer this to the community. What’s not to love?” De la Luz said.

For more information on Ten Thousand Village Brandon’s Dec. 2 Children’s Holiday Stop and Shop, call 204-726-8755.

» mmcdougall@brandonsun.com

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