SAN ANTONIO – Ten Thousand Villages, a fair-trade retail store, announced it would close 13 company-owned stores, including San Antonio’s sole location at Pearl, by March 31.
The company announced the closures as part of a focus shift to e-commerce growth and wholesale partnerships, according to a news release.
Recommended Videos
“This strategic move supports the organization’s mission of collaborating with artisans in underserved communities while adapting the organization to grow digital distribution sales channels and support its network of licensed stores,” the release said."
The company said its growing online store and wholesale network would “enable the organization to expand its reach and continue supporting artisans globally.”
Ten Thousand Villages CEO Dan Alonso said, despite the difficulties of letting go of staff, the move would position the company to “thrive in a modern marketplace.”
San Antonio’s sole location is at Pearl. It has been in operation since July 2013.
Officials with Pearl did not return an email asking about its plans for utilizing the space. This story will be updated when KSAT receives the statement.
Ten Thousand Villages listed its Akron-based headquarters for sale last November, according to reporting by LancasterOnline.
The company was founded in 1946 by Edna Ruth Byler.
Other stores closing across the United States are in:
- Albany, New York
- Burlington, Vermont
- Charlottesville, Virginia
- Intercourse, Pennsylvania
- Media, Pennsylvania
- Montreat, North Carolina
- Northampton, Massachusetts
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Portsmouth, New Hampshire
- Richmond, Virginia
- San Antonio, Texas
- West Hartford, Connecticut
- Austin, Texas
Related coverage on KSAT: