A downtown Overland Park staple for gifts and goods has entered a new chapter.
Ten Thousand Villages officially “reopened” and rebranded on Friday as Crafted: A Fair Trade Collective — a move that leaders at the nonprofit and gift shop say will expand its inventory.
Crafted Fair Trade operates at 7947 Santa Fe Drive
- The shop operates out of a space in the center of downtown Overland Park, just off West 80th Street and Santa Fe Drive.
- It originally opened at 7909 Santa Fe Drive (now occupied by Big Dave’s Downtown Liquor), but relocated to its new larger space three years ago.
- Crafted operates 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday.
The rebrand means new products, new operations
Ten Thousand Villages previously operated as an affiliate with the national fair trade organization under the same name. The concept of fair trade revolves around helping global makers reach new international markets for their products.
Crafted’s new independent status, Blum said, means the store will now be stocked with products from makers (both domestic and global makers) beyond the ones affiliated with the national nonprofit.
“We’ve been working towards this for a year or two now, just knowing that there is a big beautiful world of fair trade out there,” she said. “We can certainly carry (Ten Thousand Villages) products, but we did have a contract with them, and we have a very large space. We just couldn’t fill it with just their products, so we can now carry their products and all the other beautiful things we’d want to carry.”
That means customers will see a wide range of items they haven’t previously seen in the store — such as Colombian jewelry made with plant resin, handcrafted mugs from Pakistan, and hundreds of large handwoven rugs.
Blum said her staff also are planning to bring back handmade musical instruments, something that had once been popular with customers.
Some things are shifting operationally at Crafted, too. In 2025, Blum said the store will likely start selling its products online and offering in-store pickup.
The store’s staff have started putting written explainers up throughout the store to educate customers about the makers and the process behind the products on the shelves.
“The more that things are automated and the more that machines do, the less we see actual traditional (handmade crafts),” Blum said. “Those are the crafts that are represented in our store, and we hope to feature them more and more.”
The shop has been in downtown Overland Park nearly 25 years
Ten Thousand Villages had been an Overland Park mainstay for more than two decades before it rebranded this year. Since then, Blum said it has racked up a loyal following and a steady stream of dedicated volunteers.
“Our volunteers say this is their happy place,” Blum said. “And I say the same thing. This is my heart work — that’s what I call it.”
While a lot is changing at Crafted, the mission of highlighting global handicrafts and connecting the community has remained unchanged, Blum said.
“We really think that fair trade should be everywhere, that’s the ultimate goal,” she said. “There’s so much in the world right now that is sad and violent, and purchasing a small fair trade item is a really peaceful way to engage with another culture and another community.”
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