Ten Thousand Villages in Archbold, is being transformed into a rug gallery with tapestries laid out on platforms for easy viewing during the fifth annual Fair Trade Oriental Rug Event that runs through Saturday. According to store manager Elizabeth Baer, each of the 300 rugs was made in Pakistan.
Ten Thousand Villages is a non-profit fair trade organization that has been working since the 1980s to bring fair trade rugs to the U.S. The
Bryan Times reports that Baer says the program includes 850 families and no child labor is involved. Most of the rug knotting artisans are between the ages of 18 and 55 and the looms are in the families’ homes so that the women are able to take care of their children. All the rugs are made from 100 percent wool that repels dirt and is stain resistant. A special presentation will be given at 7 p.m. Thursday detailing the process of how the rugs are made and the lives of the artisans that create them.
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