08/31/2026
Hello Villager,
After more than 40 years, we have reached a point where it feels right to bring this chapter of Villages Calgary to a close. As such, we want to share with you our decision to permanently close our Calgary store.
The decision to close was not made lightly. As we planned our move, we recognized that continuing would require more resources and capacity than our small team could sustainably provide. Rather than lose sight of the values and purpose that have guided us for more than 40 years, we have chosen to close this chapter with gratitude and pride. We are incredibly proud of the impact our customers, volunteers, staff, and supporters have made around the world.
Since 1984, our customers have helped us support more than 98 artisan groups through their purchases. Over the years, we have purchased more than $13 million worth of goods directly from artisans, providing an important economic benefit to artisans, their families, and their communities.
Fair trade purchasing helps create opportunities for artisans to earn fair living wages, work in safe conditions, and access larger markets around the world. For certified Fair Trade groups and collectives, the Fair Trade Premium also provides an opportunity for artisans to decide together how additional funds should be invested in their communities. Those decisions can help address the needs that matter most locally, from education and schools to health care and hospitals.
This impact was made possible by our customers in Calgary, across Alberta, and throughout Canada who chose to shop with purpose and support the fair trade movement.
Our work has extended beyond our store as well. Since 2003, the Villages Society has donated more than $550,000 to projects supporting community stability and growth in countries in need of assistance. These contributions were made possible through the support and purchases of our customers.
While these numbers tell part of our story, they don’t tell the whole story.
For more than four decades, we have had the privilege of meeting incredible artisans, building relationships, sharing stories, and being part of a community that believed in the power of fair trade. We are grateful to every customer who walked through our doors, every volunteer who gave their time, every staff member who brought their passion to the work, and every supporter who helped us along the way.
Our story doesn’t end here.
While our Calgary store is closing, the fair trade movement lives on. Across Canada, stores and organizations continue to support fair wages, safe working conditions, and opportunities for artisans around the world.
We hope our customers will continue to seek out fair trade products and support the artisans and communities at the heart of this movement.
As we close this chapter, we do so with immense gratitude and pride for what we have accomplished together.
Thank you, Calgary, for more than 40 remarkable years. Thank you for believing in fair trade, and thank you for being part of our story.
PS - If you need to reach our team for the next few weeks, you can do so by emailing us at [email protected].
If you have a Villages Calgary Gift Card and would like to request a refund, please send us an email, and we’ll walk you through the process to get your money back.
Our website is being updated to act as a resource to help you find other fair trade vendors across Canada where you can continue to find your favourite fair trade items. Keep checking back on villagescalgary.ca for updates, and we’ll be sure to keep you all posted here as well.
Thank you so much, Villagers. Together, we’ve changed thousands of lives. Although Villages Calgary is closing, through the power of community, we’ll change thousands more.
We’re all here for good.
