You can now buy an African dress, native wood carvings and other intricate hand-made items from all over the world without ever leaving East Tennessee.Village Market Place, a new shop in Market Square sells such richly cultured items from Third World countries to Americans.

The store is involved in the Mennonite Church’s partnership with 10,000 Villages, an organization that incorporates the use of fair trade.

“They pay for the products up front to keep these small businesses going,” said Jeff Gencay, a volunteer at the store.

In return for the items, which range from jewelry to rugs to cards, the craftsmen are able to use the money to better their lives.

“They use the money for things like medical care, housing, food and education,” Gencay said. “Every purchase makes a difference because you are helping someone that needs help.”

Because of the situations of the craftsmen, all of the items sold in the store have a unique story behind them and come from many different countries. Craftsman in such places as Haiti, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Mexico, Kenya and many others are essentially making the buyers’ experience in the store comparable to a small museum, Gencay said.

10,000 Villages, the organization that helps millions of people each year, began humbly in a woman’s basement in 1946. Edna Ruth Byler started selling needle work that various missionaries would bring back from needy countries.

Now, there are 125 stores in North America that sell the handcrafted items.

Village Market Place originally opened in Knoxville this summer as a non-profit organization. However, the owners needed a loan to open the shop.

“Once the loan is repaid, we will become non-profit,” Gencay said.

Most of the workers in the store are volunteers or students who receive a small salary.

“(Essentially) we are a way to provide a living,” said Ruth Gencay, co-owner of Village Market Place. “They make these beautiful things, and we’re able to sell these in America.”

Village Market Place is located at #32 Market Square.