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Country: Kenya
Material: Kisii soapstone
Sizing: D: 3.25”; H: 2.75”
About the Artisans:
Kisii soapstone is carved by the artists of SMOLArt a group of artists who live in the rural village of Tabaka, Kenya, the heart of soapstone crafts. The name, a shortened version of Small, Medium, and Large Artists, refers to the size of the soapstone products the artisans make, not their stature. Established in 1990, SMOLArt is a member of the WFTO, and as such assures that the artisans are paid a fair price for their work. In addition, the organization support community development by contributing to projects that improve living conditions, education, and health of their members and the village at large.
Soapstone is mined from great pits in the area surrounding Kisii, Kenya. The mined soapstone is then delivered to carvers who carve sculptures from the natural stone for the wholesale market, the color of which ranges from cream, to pink, to brown, to yellow, to a marbling of all of them. Once carved, the craftspeople smooth rough edges of the soapstone with sandpaper dipped in water and polish the piece to a high gloss or paint African motifs in brilliant colors with etched accents.
If you purchased product through our webstore for in-store pickup, please allow 24 hours for us to complete your order. Once your order has been completed, we will either call or send an email when it is ready for pick-up. Your webstore purchase may be picked up in-store at:
Ten Thousand Villages Cobourg
16 King Street West
Cobourg, ON
Please ensure that you have your picture ID on hand when you come to pick up your items. If you have someone else picking up your items for you, please put their name in the notes section when placing your order or give us a call at 905-373-1617. Make sure the person coming to pick up your order has their picture ID with them.
It is important that you follow through with your order pick up in due course. We will give a reminder call but, ultimately, items that you have ordered and paid for will be held for a maximum of 90 days. If not picked up within that time, you will be issued a refund and the items will be returned to the shelf.
You may choose to have product shipped anywhere within Canada. All shipping is done via Canada Post. Our goal is to have product packaged and ready for shipping within 2 business days of receiving an order. Customers will receive an email notification when the package is shipped. Canada Post delivery standards are 2-6 business days to major Canadian cities and may take longer to rural or remote addresses. Customers in Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal can often expect next-day delivery in many cases.
We will offer FREE SHIPPING on orders over $250 for Ontario and Quebec customers, and over $300 for the rest of Canada; the preceding limits are before taxes are calculated.
Christmas Shipping Note: Due to parcel volume during the holidays, shipping is not guaranteed to arrive by Christmas the closer to Christmas the order is placed. Typically, anything ordered after December 10th may or may not arrive for Christmas within Ontario (earlier for out of province shipments). We take no responsibility for the service standards of Canada Post at any time of the year.
Shopping for hand-crafted items on the Internet is not always easy. We have tried to anticipate all the information that you will need to shop fair trade products by looking at pictures on a screen. If you have questions about a product, we highly urge you to ask for clarification prior to purchase. We will do everything we can to ensure that the fair trade product that you wish to buy is the right one for you. However, that said, there are times when products may need to be returned.
You may return a regularly priced item for a refund or store credit. Returned items must be in new, saleable condition. Items not eligible for returns are food items, opened personal care items, or washed clothing or textiles. Returns are only accepted within 30 days of purchase and must be accompanied by the original receipt. Items returned with a gift receipt are only eligible for store credit.
You may return a regularly priced item for a refund or for store credit. Shipping charges will not be refunded on webstore returns. Returned items must be in new, saleable condition. Items not eligible for return are food items, personal care items, or washed clothing or textiles.
You may return your items to Ten Thousand Villages Cobourg at the address listed above, accompanied by an original receipt, within 30 days of purchase.
If you wish to return an item by mail, please FIRST notify us at villagescobourg@gmail.com to initiate a returns process. Returns will not be accepted without prior confirmation and must be postmarked no later than 30 days from the date of receipt. We recommend using a trackable shipping method as we are not responsible for returns lost in transit to us. The original shipping cost is non-refundable; return postage is at the customer’s expense. For your protection, we recommend you send your return with an insured, trackable carrier like Canada Post, Purolator, UPS, or FedEx. Once we receive your item, we will send you a confirmation via e-mail.
Send your returns to:
Ten Thousand Villages Cobourg
ATTN: Webstore
16 King Street West
Cobourg, ON K9A 2L9
Returns will be processed within 7-10 business days after receipt of your returned package. An email notification will be sent when the refund has been processed. Please allow 7-10 business days for the credit to appear on your account and allow one billing cycle for the credit to appear on your credit card statement. Feel free to contact us at villagescobourg@gmail.com if you have not seen the credit after 14 days.
It is rare, but an item can be damaged during shipping. We will attempt one replacement, at our expense, provided that we receive an emailed picture clearly showing the damage to the product. If the replacement item also arrives damaged, we will issue a full refund for the original purchase and not attempt a third shipment.
My credit card number has been changed. How can I be refunded?
When you receive a new credit card, most banks will link your account number to the new card. You will receive your credit refund as normal.
I have taken the tags off a gift item, can it still be returned?
Yes, your item can still be returned if you have the original receipt or gift receipt and has been purchased within 30 days.
My webstore item arrived damaged, can I return it?
If your item has arrived damaged, please contact villagescobourg@gmail.com and we will be able to assist your return as noted above.