Artizan: Made by Hand is a collective of shops that sell handmade products.
Artizan Made is associated with but separate from TAFA: The Textile and Fiber Art List. Our TAFA member textile and fiber art shops were the first members of the Artizan collective, but then we broadened our base by accepting non-member shops with other handmade products that we love and want to support.
Our main focus on this site is on home decor and eco-fashion.
Both TAFA and Artizan Made embrace the belief that our historical roots and international connections inform and support each other, so as you explore our shops, you will find handmade products made by studio artists around the world, along with ethical vintage offerings, fair trade groups and small-scale importers. We live in an exciting time where the internet, ease of travel and access to new markets offer previously isolated makers and keepers of tradition to form partnerships, exchange ideas and to flourish and grow in often unexpected ways. You can be a part of that by spreading our efforts around and helping us tell these important stories.
The Handmade Revolution is a partnership where buyers, makers and providers embrace a common cause: creating the conditions necessary where we can compete fairly and effectively in an environment that often encourages bad practices. Choosing to buy handmade has deep repercussions that influence our environment, fair wages, freedom of choice through the ownership and production of meaningful products.
We believe that forming like-minded groups like Artizan Made helps provide some relief to the demands of owning an online business. Most of our shop owners face endless tasks involving product development, photography, listing the products, dealing with customer service, marketing and shipping. Artizan Made can help by providing peer support and joint marketing. We have a private group on Facebook where we share tips and information and the site invests in paid promotions on Facebook and elsewhere. But, the main value is in bringing together a group that offers high quality products and service. Most of our shops are on Etsy, although we are increasing our support to stand-alone shops. We are small, but focused, and our motto includes a partnership between sellers and buyers: “Together we can do great things!”
Our shops all contribute a small amount to help cover staff time and marketing costs. Currently, the membership fee is $125 for the set-up and a $12.50/month automatic payment through PayPal.