Artisans' Hands is coming to Elmwood, and the shop name just about says it all. The items that the store is stocking will all be handmade from artisans all over the world.
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Artisans' Hands will also be selling wares from Ten Thousand Villages, a fair trade, not-for-profit organization that specializes in supplying retailers with artisanal goods from villagers in countries such as India, Cambodia, Haiti, Peru, etc. Going this route helped owners of Artisans' Hands, Nana Sorenson and Tim Doolittle, to identify products that are both sustainable and artisan-friendly. "We'll also be carrying locally made crafts, which means that we're affiliated with Ten Thousand Villages, not a franchise," Nan told me. "We want to support artisans in this community as well. That's important to us. At the same time, we paid a visit to a Ten Thousand Villages store in Niagara on the Lake last year and we were amazed by all of the beautiful goods. Artisans' Hands will feature all sorts of wonderful crafts, including Vietnamese lamps made out of recycled magazines, Haitian metalwork salvaged from discarded machinery, and even some items made from Cambodian bullets. We want to support the artisans in all countries, no matter what their situation is."
Other goods that will be sold at Artisans' Hands include lamps, picture frames, pottery, candle holders, Venetian glass, Batik linens and pillows from India, musical instruments from Kenya, toys for children, candles. There will even be a few oddities such as tiffin boxes (or dabbas) from India - children would use the boxes to carry their lunch to school. They make great lunch boxes for American children too.
Artisans' Hands hopes to open in a week or two... plenty of time for a visit to load up on holiday presents!
754 Elmwood Avenue
Buffalo NY 14222
716-225-7117
cue the dig at the sign's typeface from dan.
As someone who went to school for digital media and took a variety of typography courses...my hands are shaking! At least it's not Comic Sans.
But seriously, this place sounds really neat. Can't wait to visit.