Global Village — Local services in Duluth

A Thoughtful Review of Global Village: A Unique Store with Room for Improvement

Global Village offers a visually pleasing shopping experience with its thoughtful decor and inviting layout. For someone coming from Los Angeles to Minnesota, stores with this eclectic and globally inspired vibe are a refreshing change, making it an enjoyable departure from the norm. It’s easy to spend a significant amount of money here—my visit resulted in a quick $400 expenditure on items that caught my eye.

The staff dynamics, however, presented a mixed experience. The cashier was warm, friendly, and welcoming, embodying the “Minnesota nice” hospitality one might expect. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the owner, who introduces herself as the “mother” of the store—a title that, while potentially endearing, came across as affected. Her demeanor felt aloof, pretentious, and occasionally dismissive, which detracted from the otherwise positive ambiance of the shop. A lack of eye contact and curt responses such as “mmm ok” gave the impression of disinterest, leaving patrons feeling less valued.

It’s worth noting that while anyone can have an off day, multiple reviews seem to echo this sentiment, suggesting this attitude may not be an isolated occurrence. Additionally, the way she interacted with her staff in front of customers appeared condescending, which further contributed to a negative atmosphere that conflicted with the otherwise serene and inviting environment.

From a product perspective, the store carries a variety of items ranging from incense and soaps to sound bowls and malas. While the selection is intriguing, many of the items are priced significantly higher than similar pieces available online, especially those sourced directly from Nepal or Tibetan artisans. For example, the sound bowls were priced well above market value, and the inventory of malas felt limited.

So, should you shop here? If you come across a rare or unique item that you can’t find elsewhere, Global Village might be worth a visit. Otherwise, for more common goods like incense or soaps, you may find better deals online.

Fair Warning: While the store itself is a gem for its aesthetic and product diversity, be prepared for a shopping experience that might feel at odds with the welcoming energy you’d hope for. The vibe, unfortunately, doesn’t fully align with the physical beauty of the space, and it may leave you wishing for a more harmonious balance between ambiance and interpersonal...

I have bought many jewelry pieces from global village. Always a great experience and lovely art. A couple weeks ago I was looking at a moonstone charm, at the time I 100% remember it being marked as $50, I remember telling the girl at the counter how cheap that was for such a large moon stone. I told her I would be back next week to purchase it if I could not get it off my mind or if someone did not buy it. Upon my arrival today to buy it I noticed they changed the price from $50 to $80! Ha! So I guess someone showing interest increases the price. I noticed how there was a new tag on it, she tried to tell me how “old it looks”… the tag did not look old at all, I was not going to argue. They missed out on a sale trying to be sneaky. Really disappointed in global village for trying to pull something so shady. Just say “you realized the value” and had to raise the price… I’m...

The only reason I'm rating 5 stars is because this is a nice store and I don't want to hurt the business over one WILDLY UNPROFESSIONAL cashier. I came into the store on saturday march 3rd at around 2:30 pm and thought it was a very interesting store. Upon checking out, the young male cashier looked me up and down as i was talking about what a wonderful store this is only to respond with a very rude and short "mmhmm." I perceived this to be a unnecessarily hostile considering the caucasion woman before me (who was also from out of town and thus had no relation to him) had a very pleasant conversation with this man. I very much like this store and understand that a negative review would hurt the business more than this particular cashier but i feel as though this employee should be talked to about the incident...