The words painted over the door at Broad Ripple’s Village Experience are as memorable as they are important:

“The purpose of a life is a life of purpose.”

It’s the philosophy Kelly (right, in photo) and Anne Campbell have adopted for their shop and their tourism business, which opened recently at 6055 N. College Ave. It’s a treasure trove of hand-made accessories and home accent pieces made from materials indigenous to the places from which the creators hail.

Each time you nab a brilliantly dyed Thai silk scarf ($15), a necklace made of paper beads from Uganda ($32), or a clutch made from an Indian sari ($35), your money goes back to the villages.

The Campbell sisters, Indianapolis natives, have traveled around the globe making connections, creating awareness by taking along Fair Trade-minded tourists and scouting new items.

The shop was born, in some ways, to hook their friends up with the exotic merchandise they’d picked up along their journeys.

“Our friends are like, ‘Bring me back this,’” Anne Campbell says. Now, buying in higher volume is more amazing, she says. “Just to see a woman’s face when you buy 20.”

“We’re a support system for them,” Kelly agrees. “All of the sudden, someone cares about them.”

The Village Experience is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. For information, call (317) 602-3696, or visit www.experiencethevillage.com.

MAGIC THREE

Three ways to recycle without ever going near a recycling bin

1. Recycle a My Little Pony and customize it for the My Little Pony auction, May 1, at Locals Only. You can drop your pony off at Locals the day of the event, and it will be auctioned off to benefit the Feral Bureau of 8Indiana.

2. EcoTool’s Kabuki brush (which retails for about $8.99) has a recycled aluminum 8handle and cruelty-free bristles. EcoTools brushes are all environmentally friendly and available at drugstores in and around Indianapolis.

3. Deconstruct and reincorporate clothing materials. Think about attaching sleeves from one shirt to another for a new look. Hack the neck off a turtleneck and use it as a necklette or a headband. Make two-colored tights from two pairs (hide the snagged leg by tying it around your waist).