News

20th Anniversary Exhibit & Sale in Berkeley on December 14th

November 30, 2024

Quality Matters

August 11, 2024 • artesania • buying artesania • handmade

Over our twenty year history (yes, 20!) we've had to struggle a bit with quality control. The artisans we continue to buy from year after year do a very good job. Sometimes we receive pieces that aren't up to our standards, and we usually let the producers know so they'll be more careful in the future. Occasionally we decide not to buy again from an artisan when he or she appears to be uninterested in improving the quality of their product. We strive to get the best quality because customer satisfaction is very important to us.

Recognition

July 21, 2024

Sometimes people wonder— why Michoacán? How come you keep going to that part of Mexico to buy artesanía and don’t branch out to other states, e.g. Oaxaca or Chiapas? My answer for the last 20 years has been— because there is SO much beautiful art created there and folks still need to learn about it. I also tell people that Michoacán is the most artistic place in the world. I say it because I truly believe it, and now there is some real evidence that what I’m saying is true.

News from Michoacán

June 14, 2024 • candelabras • Herlinda • Purepecha • Santa Fe la Laguna • sin plomo

Greetings from Mexico! I want to tell you some good news and share an experience I had yesterday. You might remember me asking for your help in 2021 when I learned that one of our artisan friends, Herlinda Morales was diagnosed with breast cancer. A crowdfunding campaign was created to help pay her medical expenses and I am so grateful to those of you who were able to help. I will always remember Herlinda recounting her struggle to assert herself, to learn more and to create and sell her art-- while going against her traditional Purepecha father and husband. And...

Fabulous--but NOT "fast fashion"

May 24, 2024 • embroidered clothing • embroidery • handmade • indigenous

In a couple of weeks we'll be heading to Michoacán to buy more artesanía, and as I've mentioned before, the prices on everything continue to rise. The biggest increase by far is with textiles. So while we in the U.S. see cheap clothing from China and elsewhere at Old Navy and Target costing sometimes less than we paid five years ago, the cost of a handmade embroidered blouse in Michoacán has actually doubled. So, the gorgeous blouses now on our website are in fact a real bargain. Like really inexpensive. You might be able to get one of these beauties yourself at the...