From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Nov. 9, First Congregational Church in Eau Claire will be hosting the Eau Claire Global Market, featuring vendors selling ethically sourced international goods. There will be over 20 vendors with items from more than 40 different countries.
Held on the second Saturday of November every year, this will be the event’s eighth year running. Tiffany Leighton-Giffey is head of the Eau Claire Global Market Leadership Team.
“You get to meet organizations and vendors who are directly involved with the people whose items they are selling,” Leighton-Giffey said. “It gives us the opportunity to help others and to feel there’s something where we know where our dollars go.”
The international goods sold at the event are not only ethically sourced but are also ways in which buyers can support communities abroad, according to Leighton-Giffey.
“OPTIONS-Republic of South Africa, they make handmade cards, and their cards are to support women dealing with domestic abuse,” Leighton-Giffey said. “Their cards are made out of tea leaves.”
One of the new vendors from Minnesota is Zatoun Olive Oil, a business that supports Palestinian farmers and growers. Leighton-Giffey said that any excess money made from their sales will go towards scholarships for Palestinian college students.
Just a few blocks from campus — at 310 Broadway Street — the event is a way for the campus community and the broader Eau Claire community to support international issues while purchasing one-of-a-kind items.
Ginny Close, the founder of the Eau Claire Global Market, said she was inspired by her time in the Peace Corps to start the event. In rural Turkey and rural Thailand, she saw the handwork of the locals and wondered how these creations could be shared. Close also wanted to help provide artisans with a sustainable living.
“Many years later, I learned of SERRV, an organization that had been helping artisans do for years exactly what I had had on my mind, to develop and market their crafts,” Close said. “So I started having SERRV sales for church members about 2001 or so to 2015.”
SERRV International was one of the first fair trade organizations in the world, beginning its mission in 1949. The organization initially worked only with European refugees but has since expanded to countries around the globe, supporting 8,000 farmers and artisans.
The event is also a great way for people to learn about the different goods and items from different parts of a country. Leighton-Giffey said there are several vendors with items from different regions of Guatemala.
“It’s young professional entrepreneurs, I guess, who just started this,” Leighton-Giffey said. “And so the stories behind how the vendors even get the items here are pretty incredible.”
There will also be food served at the event from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Ukrainian borscht, egg roll in a bowl and three sisters stew will all be $9, and Mediterranean chickpea cucumber salad will be $5.
“It’s so cool to think of what Ginny dreamt of creating and what has happened,” Leighton-Giffey said. “I’m very proud of what the Eau Claire Global Market has become. It’s one of my favorite things to share with our community.”
Hirata can be reached at [email protected].
