Global Gallery

This place has heart. Global Gallery is as fair-trade as fair-trade gets. They sell all kinds of baskets, clothing, trinkets, and coffee - all fair. They're always trying to help, whether it's helping a customer pick something out, or putting a roof on an orphanage in Bolivia - seriously.

The name of the gallery is admittedly a little misleading. It's not an art gallery, per se. But it does showcase world culture. Every time the staff goes out of the country, they come back with handmade goods from someone they've met. This is how they recruit their "artists".

The non-profit business is sustained mainly by loyal volunteers. They offer educational cultural programming onsite to broaden the horizons of Columbus residents. They also organize events like international dinners and open mic nights.

Going to Global Gallery is eye opening. Usually when I leave, I feel like I need to go do something nice for someone. That's never a bad thing.

There are free coffee samples with sugar and cream, and you can dump your old cell phone and charger in the basket by the counter and know it will be recycled.

Local groups put pamphlets in a rack by the door. Take a look; you can educate yourself about anything if you stand there for long enough.

Global Gallery is always a must-stop for me when I am in the area. I love checking out the fun collection of international goods that they offer. There is a wide variety of products - great jewelry, some clothing, music, stationary, coffee, and more. The winter holiday season makes for an especially fun visit too, with the addition of festive decorations and a delightful collection of ornaments.

Some of the tags on the items include stories detailing the who, what, where of making the items, which range from interesting to downright tearjerking! The items are fair trade, and the employees are volunteers who are very friendly and helpful.

Definitely worth a look if you are interested in fair trade, international goods, or unique items.

Fair Trade this and fair trade that. Once you're inside Global Gallery it will become obvious the merchant primes the pump with how much you're helping Third World cultures by purchasing their goods. I'm A-OK with that but how functional are all the things you find?

In the front of the store there is an entire showcase of scarves, mittens, shawls and the likes all made from alpaca. Last I checked there are at least 3 alpaca farms in and around the Lancaster, Ohio area. Maybe we're all helping with Peru and Argentina but an alpaca by any other name (don't sa llama) is an alpaca and I'd rather see Ohio alpaca farmers benefit from hair sales. The products are nice and cute; No doubt.

Further into the store are global art and wares that I don't see fitting into all too many peoples homes but that's unfair to grade Global Gallery on what I assume. C'mon, I did purchase the paper star decorations for Christmas after all.

Global Gallery has a niche' and they've got a really cute shop. I recommend you visit, ... it's just not really my cup of tea... from India.

Global Gallery is a small chain of 3 local volunteer-staffed, fair-trade handicraft stores (two in Columbus, one in Yellow Springs). They contract with Ten Thousand Villages, a national chain and supplier, and other suppliers ranging from national organizations to individuals who bring what they can carry from remote locations, along with compelling stories of the people who make them.

That alone makes it cool, but the selection at Global Gallery is really very good, and the prices on many items are very reasonable (though some prices reflect the high costs paid up-front by the store for certain items). Usually I walk into a store selling knick-knacks and the like and don't see anything I even like, but at Global Gallery, I almost always see something that I think someone I know would like, or that I would love (if I had an apartment big enough for extra stuff). Go, support fair trade, buy pretty things. There's a location at Easton Town Center as well, for those of you who make it there a lot.

The boy and I stop by Global Gallery during every Gallery Hop. We went here during our 1st date and now its kinda like a tradition. Christmas gifts to each other came from here (we even got each other the same thing!).

I would easily bump it up to a 4 star review if the selection changed a bit more (or maybe we're just there too much!) and to 5 stars if there were a larger selection of lower priced items. I do enjoy supporting fair trade but there seems to be a large proportion of higher priced items than lower.

Like Bryant said, they have a great selection of winter accessories and I've gotten more compliments on my hand warmers than I can count! Alpaca fur too =) Warm and fuzzy!

A good place to shop for stocking stuffers during winter Gallery Hops!

Global Gallery is exactly where you go if you're looking for fingerless handmade alpaca fur gloves, or perhaps a wallet with an interesting S. American design. It's an outlet for ethnic (read: everything non European/Western) products from around the world. It's the kind of place that makes humanitarian efforts fashionable. That clay lamp is not just a clay lamp. That clay lamp was made by a very poor clay lamp maker far far away. If you buy that clay lamp, you can have all the prestige of having an imported clay lamp in addition to the prestige of being a world-savvy do-gooder.

So, that being said, I think Global Gallery is pretty sweet. Lots of little trinkets and musical instruments. The mood is very relaxed. There's a music section, and they play samples of it in the store. The music caught my ear a couple times, really great stuff from all over the world. That is, it didn't seem like the annoying soulless "world music" that you'll find a lot of old white guys playing. This stuff was authentic.

With Autumn in the air, my mind instantly goes to...Global Gallery?

Yep. For the gloves and mittens. They have every combination of fingerless gloves and mittens you could imagine. And they're handmade, so they seem to last forever and don't pill. And they are reasonably priced. So, if you're a touch-screen phone person, then I would definitely suggest dropping by Global Gallery for some new hand gear.

Oh, and I like everything else about the Global Gallery too. But I mainly go for the gloves.

I always stop by here on gallery hops. It is a great concept.

What they say:
"Global Gallery is a non-profit shop operated by volunteers. Through the sale of art and handicrafts produced in developing countries, we help to create jobs with dignity for our global neighbors so that they may provide food, shelter, health care and education for their families."

Who wouldn't want to support a company like that? Now that being said, I have only been compelled to buy on a couple occasions. I have found a few places online that do this same thing and sometimes I find products there that I prefer. Some of this could stem from the high prices you will find here. However, since it is a non-profit, I can't complain too much.

Global Gallery promotes fair trade in the international marketplace. The Indian mango-scented vegetable soap and Bangladeshi kaisa grass bowl I got here will apparently benefit the communities that handcrafted them. That, coupled with the store's reasonable prices, should mean that all those involved with a product--the artisan who made it, the store that sells it, and the customer who buys it--gain from its purchase. With that said, I'm a little sad that I must proceed instead to Global Gallery's other location in Clintonville to get the eyeglasses rest I want (http://www.ggfairtrade.com/product/the-nose-wooden-eyeglasses-rest).

Also, I think this is one of those stores that expect its customers to use their own reusable shopping bags. This usually isn't a problem for me, but this time I didn't have room for my new items from Global Gallery. For a while, then, I was carrying in my arms the basket with the soap in it, although a nice lady at Torso would eventually notice this and kindly give me a paper shopping bag (recycled, maybe?). Global Gallery, then, should be one of those pro-eco spots as well. :-)

I strolled in here on a whim after happy hour down the street, and wow I dig this shop. It's so fun to peruse through all the items that they offer, and I want to haul everything home, if only I could afford to do so. It's not that it's expensive, and many of the items are priced reasonably, but most of what they carry are items that I want but don't necessarily need. It's such a great fun and eclectic mix of items -- it reminds me of a less commercialized version of Pier One or World Market, but with more doodads and minus the furniture.

I looked them up at home and I really like that they support a good cause, and I think this would be a great place to buy unique, thoughtful presents for others. I plan to visit their coffee shop in Clintonville eventually, and I'll be shopping here again as well.