Shop brings together good deeds, beautiful artwork
As Christmas is meant to be a time of peace on Earth, the Gifts of the World shop in Schaumburg is always there to provide a little global perspective for the season.
Showcasing Nativity scenes from talented craftspeople in 40 developing countries, the shop is run by pastors Pauline and LeRoy Kennel of Christ Community Mennonite Church - itself no stranger to the global nature of compassion.
In addition to being truly beautiful works of art, sales of the Nativities and other pieces by these artisans help support them in countries and communities that lack what Americans of any income bracket would recognize as the bare essentials.
These include clean water, roads and access to public education, Pauline Kennel said.
"We're out of touch with the poverty of the world, and even when we are in touch with it, we throw up our arms and say, 'What can we do?'" she said. "Well this is something we can do."
Far from being charity or a handout, sales from the shop ensure that these crafters and artists receive fair pay. In many cases, they receive at least half payment in advance for supplies.
Both of the shop's supplier companies - Ten Thousand Villages and SERVV - share this philosophy, Pauline said. They also work on community development projects where the artists live and insure there are no human rights abuses in these areas.
For only $1,200 in sales, one artist has made a living for an entire year in his or her country, where they normally live on only a dollar or two a day. Many Americans spend more than that on Christmas shopping alone.
"When people hear this, they get very emotional," LeRoy Kennel said. "'We're actually helping someone!'"
Penny Bailey of Rolling Meadows is not a member of Christ Community Mennonite Church, but has been shopping for Nativity sets at Gifts of the World for seven or eight years. She's now collected so many she has to display them at her own church at Christmastime rather than in her home.
"You don't find things like that everywhere," Bailey said. "They're from all over the world, and I know the people who actually made them are getting the profit from them. And they're well made and beautiful."
Pauline said she's always been fascinated by how the artists make do with the materials available to them, however sparse.
The Nativity scenes from Bangladesh, for instance, use tiny strips of wheat straw for their painstaking construction. Then there are pieces from the Philippines and Vietnam that use recycled paper while others from South Africa use shredded soft drink cans.
Among Nativities that use more traditional materials is one from Indonesia carved from a single piece of wood, and others from Kenya carved from either soapstone or the lightweight, dark-colored jacaranda wood.
Despite being located in the heart of the retail hub that is Schaumburg, the Kennels are satisfied that Gifts of the World offers shoppers something truly unique in the area.
Though Christmas is the time they focus on Nativities, all manner of artwork as well as coffee, tea and chocolate is available year-round.
They've considered getting a storefront at Woodfield. But while they know the greater visibility would undoubtedly increase sales, they've struggled with the question of whether it would be enough to counterbalance a high rent.
The main financial purpose of the store has always been focused more on the artists it supports than on any benefit to the church, LeRoy Kennel said. A worldwide approach to compassion and caring has always been at the heart of the Mennonite faith, he added.
Gifts of the World is located at 888 S. Roselle Road in Schaumburg. Its store hours this month are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, before reverting back to Thursday through Saturday only in January.
For more information, call (847) 895-3676.