In this day and age, it’s not as common as it once was to follow through on your education and actually work in the same field afterwards. Taking a passion for learning and transferring that into a fulfilling business though is exactly what Kris Gulyas, owner of Tribal Voices, did!

Having an interest in travel and studying International Studies in her post-secondary education, Kris wanted to open a store to show what she was interested in.

Located at 179 Charlotte St., and having just celebrated its 20th anniversary in May, the business has undergone many changes over the years. For one, Kris met her husband and now co-owner Johni Doy while dealing with an exporter company overseas in Indonesia many years ago. Also, Tribal Voices originally opened across the street from its current main store on Charlotte St where Cosmic Charlies is currently located.

With the business doing so well and a need for more space, they made the move and were happy to be able to stay in the same vicinity. Since then, they have opened other operations in Kingston, Port Hope and also at Fowlers Corners, and these ventures are family run across the board!

As one could guess, Tribal Voices has a very international flare to it. They offer high end products from jewelry, arts, and crafts all the way to clothes and even furniture from countries such as Indonesia, Nepal, Thailand, Hong Kong and Italy. Because they deal with products mainly coming from overseas, Kris and Johni have made sure that they only purchase fair traded products. Nothing you will find in the store comes from any exporter who they feel uncomfortable with. They always make sure to be careful who they deal with and extensively research before purchasing.

Having been in the Peterborough community for such a long time, the owners at Tribal Voices make sure they take part in giving back to the city they live and do business in. They regularly donate to local charities such as the Cancer Society, while also giving away products to worthy cause silent auctions and have even taken part in local fun fairs!

One initiative that Tribal Voices is proud to have taken part in is in sponsoring medical brigades which have gone overseas to help villagers in Johni’s native Indonesia. This has been done three times, taking local medical staff back to bring basic medical assistance to people who normally wouldn’t have the opportunity to receive it. Staff from the store has literally gone over to assist with this great cause.

Being located in downtown on one of Peterborough’s busiest streets has allowed Tribal Voices to experience the best that our downtown has to offer. Kris and Johni love the vibrancy of the area they are in and invite you to come in and experience a taste of tribal culture you won’t find anywhere else!