Global Village Nanaimo will be open at 437 Fitzwilliam St. through Dec. 24. The store opened on Sept. 20. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Ian Holmes

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NANAIMO — A unique retail setting in the Old City Quarter clearly has staying power, despite constantly being on the move.

Global Village Nanaimo (GVN) established its ever-rotating seasonal pop-up store on Fitzwilliam St. at Selby St. on Sept. 20, which will remain open daily from 10 am to 5 p.m. until Dec 24.

GVN Executive director Joan Hiemstra said the non-profit organization started as a weekend event before eventually growing to a sizable distributor for several other like-minded retailers locally and further abroad in Canada.

She chuckled it can be a guessing game for some their customers as to where there fall/winter store will be.

“We’ve got so many customers who follow us wherever we open, we open twice a year now, so we’ve grown a lot in the 25 years, it’s exciting to see,” Hiemstra told NanaimoNewsNOW.

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Joan Hiemstra said their inventory for the winter shopping season is much better positioned compared to last year with numerous supply-chain challenges. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

The non-profit, devoted to bettering the lives of disadvantaged workers around the world, currently has in-store products from cooperative and independent producers in upwards of 20 countries.

Everything from clothing accessories and household goods to coffee, baskets and greeting cards are available for purchase.

GVN clients includes around 20 female jewelry makers in Langtang, Nepal.

The workers banded together following a devastating 2015 earthquake to consol each other and brainstorm ways to create economic opportunities.

GVN originally had difficulty connecting with the jewelers before an eventual long-term business relationship could be forged.

“This group didn’t have a bank account, so they had shipped it to us and we still couldn’t pay we kept asking every week or two ‘hey, can we send you the money yet?’ It took about six months for them to be able to set up a bank account”

Hiemstra said their Nepalese clients have since forged relationships with several other wholesalers around the world, providing vital stability beyond a limited local market.

GVN always pays in full for their products up front, Hiemstra said.

These items available at Global Village Nanaimo were produced by women in the remote and small village of Langtang, Nepal. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

GVN follows 10 principles as conditions the artists/their representatives must adhere to, including fair wages and proper working conditions.

“It also includes no child labour, no forced labour, the ability for people to learn skills so they’re not stuck in the same job their whole life, protection of their own local environment and including a profit in their products.”

GVN Nanaimo typically opens a store annually in the spring at Nanaimo North Town Centre, while the organization also has an online store.

Christmas items are already starting to disappear from GVN shelves at 437 Fitzwilliam St. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

Hiemstra concluded their existing store tried something new this year: share a space with another retailer.

Teak Tree, which primarily sells indoor and outdoor wooden furniture, leased out a portion of its store to GVN.

“I hope more businesses take advantage of the ideas of sharing space, reviewing their work hours, combining skills and products. It just seems to be so much more healthy and logical for all of us.”

The Teak Tree will reclaim its full store at 437 Fitzwilliam St. in the new year.

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ian@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @reporterholmes