All good things take time, and the Ten Thousand Villages store is no exception.

The creation of the Oak Park store is moving according to schedule and should be opening mid-September, according to Will Rutt of Berwyn, who serves as board president for Ten Thousand Villages, an organization that provides fair income to people in developing countries by marketing their handiworks and sharing their stories in America.

“They are working in the store, tearing out the guts and putting in new things like electrical and floor covering,” Rutt said of the store, which will be located at 121 N. Marion St., Oak Park. “We still have a lot of work to do, but we are on track and hoping for an early September opening.”

The store will feature 1,500 to 2,000 items made from people from Africa, Asia and Latin America who are looking to improve their lives.

“For 59 years, Ten Thousand Villages has worked with talented artisans around the world providing vital, fair income in exchange for their beautiful handcrafted items,” Rutt said. “Ten Thousand Villages works with artisans who would otherwise by unemployed or under-employed. This income helps pay for food, education, health care and housing.”

In addition to helping the artists, the store, which is located on renovated Marion Street, is part of the revival of the area located around Marion and Westgate.

“We anticipate being part of the revival of this wonderful area and working together with our neighbors to provide a rewarding shopping experience,” the Berwyn resident explained. “The store is one of over 100 (Ten Thousand Villages stores) in North America, which will sell fairly traded handicrafts from artisans in over 30 developing countries.”

Rutt said the effort to bring a store to the area began in 2005 and was supported through numerous fundraisers and donations from many people and organizations, resulting in raising more than $90,000. These funds, along with loans, made the effort a reality.

In addition to all the work inside the store, Rutt said this week he is interviewing the finalists for store manager and assistant manager positions. The new employees will be trained at one of the other Ten Thousand Village stores in America and, according to Rutt, once they return will begin stocking the store with pieces of artwork in anticipation of the opening date.

Ten Thousand Villages is part of a worldwide movement striving to practice fair trade. It is a founding member of the International Fair Trade Association, which promotes fair trade as an alternative approach to conventional international trade.

Further information regarding the organization is available at oakpark@tenthousandvillages.com.