Downtown Iowa City’s Ten Thousand Villages will rebrand as Mosaic Iowa City, marking what owner Liz Preciado called a strategic shift to support ethical commerce and fair trade practices on a broader scale.
The nonprofit retailer, which has operated as a Ten Thousand Villages-branded store for nine years, will open under its new name Aug. 1 at 109 S. Dubuque St.
“We wanted to be able to serve more artisan groups than just the artisans that worked with Ten Thousand Villages,” Ms. Preciado said. “This change allows us the opportunity to reach more people and groups, have an independent website so customers can shop from us directly, and it allows us to serve refugees, immigrants, and artisans from marginalized communities in our country.”
According to a news release, the transition will allow Mosaic Iowa City to partner with more fair trade vendors and underserved communities, including artisans from Sudan and Ukraine, while maintaining its nonprofit status with a local board of directors. Last year, the organization worked with 156 artisans through Ten Thousand Villages partnerships. Under the new brand, Mosaic Iowa City plans to work with artisans in more than 24 countries.
Fair trade emphasizes fair wages, safe working conditions and environmentally sustainable practices. The organization plans to continue selling customer favorites from Ten Thousand Villages while expanding offerings to include fair trade clothing lines for women and men, year-round displays of handcrafted rugs from Pakistan, organic fair-trade spices and specialty food products.
The new store space, previously home to Textiles, offers dressing rooms and additional display areas. Mosaic Iowa City received assistance from the Iowa City Downtown District through a retail build-out grant aimed at supporting new downtown retail tenants.
Ms. Preciado said remaining downtown was important. “This is a community educated about the world and the challenges people face globally,” she said. “Fair trade fits so nicely into our community. I love it when visitors see things from their homeland and feel a little piece of home here in Iowa City. Our mission is to connect customers with the artisans who made their items. In these times, it’s especially important to shop your values, and buying fair trade is a powerful way to support ethical treatment of people and environmental safety.”
The name Mosaic, suggested by Assistant Director Deb Manning, honors the organization’s heritage while reflecting its expanded mission. The concept draws from the former Ten Thousand Villages fair trade blog and symbolizes artisans and companies worldwide combining to form the fair trade movement.
Mosaic Iowa City will hold a soft opening Aug. 1, followed by a grand opening in September. Store hours will be Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The store also plans to launch an e-commerce platform and continue its volunteer staffing model.
