One Fair World (formerly known as Ten Thousand Villages) began in 2000 as a dream by a group of resourceful people who had no retail experience but were excited by the idea of bringing a fair-trade store to Salem. The richness and beauty of international, handcrafted items drew us to the project, but mostly the idea that a business could be operated to help others brought this group of people together. We began fundraising and opened a temporary location. We experienced a wonderfully warm reception from the Salem community, and in June 2002, we moved to our permanent and current location at 474 Court St. NE. Being in a historic building in a constantly revitalizing downtown Salem has been a big asset for us. Actively participating in the downtown business community and in the broader Salem-area community has been key to our success.