NORTHAMPTON — After a quarter century downtown, Ten Thousand Villages is preparing to close its Main Street store for good on March 31.

Ten Thousand Villages officials announced Thursday that the Northampton store is one of 13 company-owned stores slated to close as part of a “significant transformation to address critical challenges facing our organization,” CEO Dan Alonso said in a statement.

The company cited financial necessity and changing consumer habits as factors leading to its decision, as the nonprofit seeks to overhaul its current business model into one that is driven by offering their handmade, artisan goods wholesale and online.

“While the ambiance of our physical stores has long been a cherished part of the Ten Thousand Villages experience, the closure of our company-operated stores is driven by financial necessity, stemming from the underperformance of our store network rather than a lack of belief in brick-and-mortar retail,” stated Alonso.

Ten Thousand Village’s Northampton location, one of 40 globally, had been in operation at 84 Main St. since October 1999. Other stores to close are located in Burlington, Vermont; Albany, New York; West Hartford, Conneticut; Portsmouth, New Hampshire; and in Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and North Carolina.

The remaining 27 stores are independently owned and operated but are licensed by Ten Thousand Villages, and will not close.

Based in Akron, Pennsylvania, Ten Thousand Villages was founded in 1946 by Edna Ruth Byler — a pioneer for women in business who started the store after a trip to Puerto Rico.

Ten Thousand Villages advertises itself as a “maker to market” nonprofit that connects consumers to handmade artistry, from jewelry to statuary, and woven goods to handmade clothes resourced from over 30 countries globally.

According to Alonso, in addition to challenges posed by financial hardships, the nonprofit is also seeking to keep up with the latest trends in consumer habits, as people have been showing a preference for online retail in recent years, as “sales from our physical stores have declined while online sales have grown.”

This increase in online revenue, mixed with rising operational costs, makes the shift “both an economic necessity and a strategic decision to ensure the long-term viability of Ten Thousand Villages, our artisan partners, and the fair trade movement,” he stated.

Moving forward, Alonso said the company remains committed to its mission of supporting artisans and promoting fair trade.

“By streamlining operations and creating a unified strategy that balances wholesale and e-commerce, we aim to build a sustainable future that benefits both our artisan partners and the communities we serve,” he said.

The store’s manager and employees in Northampton declined to comment.

Samuel Gelinas can be reached at sgelinas@gazettenet.com