Beloved Logan gift store to close

Logan, Utah — There will be repercussions for people all over the world as a result of the closure of a gift shop in Logan that is regarded as a hidden gem by the locals and is primarily run by volunteers.

The doors of Global Village Gifts will continue to be open for a total of six more weeks until the end of August, when the store will finally close its doors.

“I think it will be a loss to the community,” said customer Carolina Brog.

The business is not your typical gift shop since the names of the countries from where the items originated are printed on the back of each tag, and all of the items are certified as fair trade.

“We work with artisans from all over the world, making sure they get a fair and living wage, good working conditions, no child labor, things like that,” explained store manager Whitnee Hatch.

“Each item was just beautifully made and actually put thought into it,” added Brog. “You go to a lot of the stores now and it’s just a lot of cheap junk.”

Due to decreased audience visitation and a reduction in the number of volunteers employed by COVID, the store is closing, despite the fact that it is very much liked.

“We’re also run by a board of directors, and some of them are ready to step away, and because we have that lack of a volunteer base, we have no one to like step into their place,” explained Hatch.

Although they are saddened by the individuals behind the merchandise, employees of the store are not saddened by themselves.

“All of our artisans have already been paid in full,” Hatch added, “so we’ve at least like supported the people who we’ve already purchased from.”

Koumjian has a word of caution for those individuals who are considering travelling to concerts this summer with fake identity in their possession.

“If you have a fake, leave it at home,” she said. “We don’t want you to get caught. We don’t want you to use it. We want you to be safe.”