A few years ago, Rae Reilly, a volunteer at Worldly Goods, 223 Main St., visited one of the poorest parts of Guatemala to meet some of the artisans who make the items sold at Worldly Goods.

Reilly said she was awestruck at the poor living conditions but saw that improvements were in progress.

“It was inspiring to see that our work was helping to improve their lives,” Reilly said.

Reilly has been a volunteer at Worldly Goods for 15 years and currently serves on the store’s board of directors. She said the majority of the artisans whose work is featured at Worldly Goods are women who are economically challenged.

“Fair trade helps empower women,” Reilly said. “Typically, women have control over the money and schooling for their children, so our work really does help them and their families.”

Tina Thill, general manager of Worldly Goods, also acknowledges the importance of the relationship between the store and the artisans it supports.

“It isn’t charity, what we do at Worldly Goods. The artisans are paid for their work. We’re not donating money,” Thill said. “These people want to be self-sufficient, and we are simply giving them the means to do that.”

Worldly Goods is a nonprofit organization that has been in Ames for 21 years. It sells clothing, jewelry and home accessories made by artisans in poor areas from 40 different countries.

Thill works with 25 vendors who contact the artisans overseas. The difference between Worldly Goods and most retail stores is that customers can find out where any item in the store was made and who made it.

“This gives us a certainty that they have good working conditions and are being treated fairly,” Thill said.

Worldly Goods is run by four paid staff, but only one is full time. The store depends on its 70 volunteers to keep things running.

“Our volunteers are the backbone of the store,” Thill said.

The store hosts many multicultural events and shopping benefits for the Ames community.

Every Saturday people cook and read a story from a different country. In November the annual Holiday Shopping Benefit is held, in which organizations can invite their members to do their holiday shopping at Worldly Goods. In return, the store donates 20 percent of the profits back to the organization. Reilly said the store just keeps getting better.

“The vendors have gotten much more sophisticated, and the merchandise is great and goes well with current fashion and decorating trends,” she said.