Category: News

We want to hear from you!

As we continue to fine-tune the new grocery element of our community store, we could use your input on your shopping habits and grocery preferences. We would be so grateful if you would take 5-10 minutes to fill out our survey. As a thank you for your time, if you complete it before July 5, you’ll have a chance to win a drawing for a $100 World Fare gift card!

Here is the survey: https://forms.gle/UTSHyDiNyjjxH4Kg7

While you’re at it, we’d love it if you liked us on Facebook! It will help us become visible to more people and keep you in touch with sales, events, and new inventory.

See you at the store soon

We have new local, organic, and fair trade products coming in every week. Plus, we’re able to accept EBT payments now!

Some favorite grocery items right now include:

• Local foods: Moo-ville ice cream & dairy, Jake’s fish and meats, local maple syrup, honey, and eggs, plus produce from the Huss Project Farm
• Organic foods: Cold drinks, sugar-free candy, single frozen treats, healthy bars, chips and snacks (Barbara’s Cheese Puffs fly off the shelves!)
• Fair Trade: Women’s Bean Project soups and mixes. The Golden Cornbread mix and scone mixes are currently on sale!

Join the Buyer’s Club!

For an annual or monthly fee, Buyer’s Club members receive 15% off purchases of any items in the store, as well as the option to place bulk special orders through our primary grocery supplier, United Natural Foods, Inc., at 15% above wholesale price. UNFI has a huge stock of natural, organic, and specialty food items as well as some non-food household essentials.

In order to make participation accessible, we offer a variety of payment options:

• Annual payment of $150
• Monthly payment of $12.50
• Become a regular volunteer to waive the fee!
• No fee is charged for households receiving food assistance (contact us to sign up)

Sign up online now or in the store during your next visit! 

Celebrating our 15th Anniversary

On Sunday during the 25th Annual HarmonyFest in Downtown Three Rivers, our little store celebrated its 15th Anniversary! During those 15 years, our faithful volunteers have spent more than 31,000 hours running the store and connecting our community with artisans and farmers from around the world. To celebrate, we gave away 15 prizes throughout the day, served special treats in the store, and commissioned our friend Elisabeth Wenger to write a poem, which she read from the main stage at 6:30 (see below). Thank you to everyone who helped us celebrate … and here’s to 15 more years!

World Fare’s 15th Anniversary: An Exhortation

A store is never just a store.
While it’s true that a business is not a person,
no matter what our government says,
A business is made by people,
peopled, populated and conceived
of, in minds expansive and strange.

Make a choice—to what business
will you give the strength in your arms,
the branching electricity in your brain?
To what group of people,
with what dream,
will you go?

And the work of the people of the business
takes on the life its been given,
as long as the people keep caring.

Fifteen years these people have cared for a store!
Remember fifteen?
The hot passion, the standing up for what you believed in
with the thrill of standing for justice,
with the strength of a David
facing down Goliath. Impossible.
Magnificent. Teenaged energy
and clear sight, acknowledging the impossible
and attempting it anyway.

May the people who people this store
keep dreaming, keep the passion.
May they imagine new worlds
or ways to be, may they fight
with fifteen’s fervor for an impossibility,
And, most of all,
may they remain people,
individual and uniquely strange,
caring about people.

We Have all Your In-Between Weather Needs!

This rainy weather is good for Spring flowers, not so good for us! 

Not to worry! 

World Fare has all your hot drink and soup needs covered.

We have over 30 types of tea. Plus soups and other hot yummies.

And don't forget our colorful assortment of scarves, and cozy socks.

So come on over!  We've got coffee brewed and a great space for conversation, news paper reading, and peaceful shopping.

First Friday focus on women’s history

It’s time for March’s First Friday and we thought that it would be fun to have a special night and a series of posts highlighting women in history and/or fair trade to celebrate Women’s History Month!

The fun starts this Friday, March 2, 2018 5pm-8pm. We will have samples from Women’s Bean Project for you to try AND all Women’s Bean Project products in the store will be 10% off.

Be sure to stop in, we will have coffee as usual and plenty of conversation!

2016 Chocolate Affair a gooey, delicious success!

Pictured from left to right: Elisabeth Wenger, Karen Keefer, Becca Sonday and Lorie Minor.

The weather outside was frightful, but inside World Fare on February 13, the crowds were warm with good conversation and tasty treats as we celebrated A Chocolate Affair 2016. Seven area bakers brought their best recipes for visitors of all ages to taste and vote on, with celebrity judges Tricia Meyer (Three Rivers Downtown Development Authority) and Brother Abraham (St. Gregory’s Abbey) offering their professional opinion on the best presentation and most original.

And the winners were:

• Elisabeth Wenger with Chocolate Lavender Cake with Earl Grey Mascarpone (Most Original, Second Place People’s Choice)
• Karen Keefer with Chocolate Pumpkin Almond Butter Cups (First Place People’s Choice)
• Becca Sonday with Goat Cheese Espresso Brownies (Third Place People’s Choice)
• Lori Minor with Triple Chocolate Chip Layered Cookie Cake (Best Presentation)

Thank you to all who came out to make the Affair such a successful event in support of World Fare’s fair trade mission!

Winners of 2015 Chocolate Affair

Well, the weather outside was frightful, but frigid temps and blowing snow are not enough to keep our local chocolate lovers away!  The 2015 A Chocolate Affair was a great success with over 120 people coming through to try the delectable treats dreamed up by a dozen different bakers and baking teams.  World Fare sends a huge thank you to all who entered, and a big congratulations to this year’s winners, who each went home with a World Fare gift certificate and a special edition, handmade Valentine’s vessel from our resident potter, Elizabeth Brouwer.

Local celebrity judges for A Chocolate Affair 2015

World Fare is delighted to announce our three local celebrity judges for A Chocolate Affair 2015!

Get your chocolate fix on Valentine’s Day!

Join us this Saturday, February 14, for our Annual Chocolate Affair bake off!  From 2:00 – 3:30 p.m., taste delicious treats from 10 local bakers for free; then vote for your favorites to win People’s Choice awards.  Voting tickets start at $1 each, with quantity discounts. All proceeds from voting go toward World Fare’s efforts to support economically disadvantaged farmers and artisans around the world.

And while you’re downtown, be sure to check out all of the WinterFest activities happening throughout downtown Three Rivers from noon – 4:00 p.m. Bring someone you love to celebrate Valentine’s Day in a PLACE you love!

We look forward to seeing you there!

Join us this Saturday for Small Business Saturday!

Join us this Saturday, November 29, during the annual Three Rivers Christmas Around Town celebration to also celebrate Small Business Saturday! Every year, after folks have gotten crazy deals on products on Black Friday, we like to encourage shoppers to get out on Saturday to support their local, small businesses in their communities. Not only will there be events for Christmas Around Town throughout downtown all day, but the first 15 customers in World Fare will receive a free canvas tote bag courtesy of American Express.

Join us for a great day of supporting local businesses in Three Rivers on Saturday!