THE ARTISAN SHOP

During the second lockdown in India we partnered with Raaha + Ka-Sha to launch a not-for-profit initiative. The Artisan Shop is a movement of collective action to support our weavers + artisans by giving them direct access to global consumers. The artisans hold the power to decide the value of the product. This ensures reduction in inventory, reduced reliability on donations, access to open economies, keeps home workshops running. 

Within the first 60 days of launch, The Artisan Shop onboarded 20 artisans and supported them with clearing inventory of over 150 pieces, reaching customers in 8 countries. 

------ PAUSE ------

We are going on a Short Break.

We are thrilled that consumers are shifting the way they buy and where they invest. Buying directly from artisans and crating access to fair pricing was our goal and we achieved that in the past few months.

We are working on building a sustainable model for our artisans and our team and will be back with more information soon.

Until then, buy handmade and continue to support our artisans!

We will continue to support our b2b business, for bulk/ wholesale enquiries you can reach out to us on theartisanshopindia@gmail.com!

To know more about the Artisan Shop, why we did it and who our amazing partner artisans are please read on!

Join our community of supporters on Instagram at @the__artisan__shop!

ABOUT THE SHOP

The artisan and handmade economy is severely impacted by the shutdowns as a result of the second wave of Covid-19 in India. They are not just dealing with disease, shortage of medication and oxygen and loss of life, but also with cancelled orders and economic insecurity. The donations and relief pouring in is significant but when asked, the weavers and artisans want to continue to work, to grow their business, to be able to continue doing what they love and feel empowered through sales! The Artisan Shop is focused on using sales to sustain livelihoods during times of distress. We recognised the need for a revenue channel where consumers - globally can buy directly from the weavers.

HOW WE WORK

We identify clusters + weavers that have dead-stock/ excess inventory. We do not encourage them to invest in new products. We do a quality check through our network partners. We use our internal resources to collect images, details and prices to upload it onto our web shop. The web shop acts as a catalogue for the artisans. All images of products are taken by the artisan. When a sale is made, our team notifies the artisan + works with them to package + ship the product. The artisan ships domestic orders directly to you but if international, the product is shipped to our studio in Pune and then to the customer, this happens because some regions where they work from don't have easy access to international courier services. Once the sale is made the artisan gets paid after the dispatch of the product.

HOW THIS HELPS

Reduction of dead-stock and inventory. Sales & revenue (the urgent need for this is known to us all). Access to open economies. Keeps home looms and workshops running. Consumers connect with weavers + artisans through a transparent sales process.

OUR VALUES

Transparency -> Connection -> Community -> Culture -> Collaboration

-> Weaver/ Artisan set price for the product + 4.9% Transaction/Gateway Fee + 5% GST + Shipping Fee (For International Deliveries)

SHIPPING & DELIVERY

Domestic Delivery | Free Delivery | Dispatched by the Artisan to you within 7 working days of your order being placed.

International Shipping | Charged as per actuals based on the weight of your final order & delivery address at the time of Check Out | Dispatched to you within 12-15 days of your order being placed. It is first Dispatched by the Artisan to our Studio in Pune within 7 working days of your order being placed. On receipt in 2-5 working days we will have it ready to ship it to you! This is a necessary step as many of the regions the artisans are based in do not have easy access to International Shipping options.

-> Your International Shipping is charged as per the weight of your final order, with the minimum chargeable weight starting at 500 gms. At an average the Sari's weigh between 500-750 gms, Shawls & Stoles weigh between 250-450 gms. If you have any queries about the shipping of your products to an international address please contact us via email on shop@loomandhand.com.

PLEASE NOTE *

'The Artisan Shop' is a part of a Social Impact effort and a Covid-relief undertaking for the benefit of the artisan/ weaver we won't be encouraging any Returns, Refunds or Exchanges on these purchases.

The images on the website are taken by the artisan themself. There may be a slight difference in the colour on screen and the actual product. Please do feel free to get in touch if you have any questions regarding the colour.

The Shipping Time of your order after Dispatch depends on where you are based. Due to the current Covid-19 crisis, there could be unforeseen delays but we will ensure the order reaches you and we will keep you informed at all times.

For any assistance or feedback feel free to write to us on shop@loomandhand.com and we'd be happy to help!