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Artizan: Made by Hand is an international marketing collective of online shops that sell handmade products.
Our main goal is to support the handmade community by connecting makers to buyers.
We have created a space where people who love handmade products can find them easily. We showcase members whose products show skill and tell a unique story. Instead of selling these products directly on our website, we use our marketplace to redirect people to where our members are selling: on Etsy, their own websites, or on other platforms. We feature 50 products for each member and provide links back to their shop. Each product acts as an advertisement for our members. We do have some products available for purchase through our shopping cart.
Each member has a Member Profile that tells their story, which we promote on social media and through our blog.
Artizan Made is owned and operated by me, Rachel Biel, also known as Rayela Art. My journey has been quite creative: 18 years spent in Brazil as a missionary kid during the hippy times of the 70s, 4 years in Minnesota at St. Olaf College, and 20 years in inner city Chicago. I moved to Paducah, Kentucky, in 2005, a Unesco Creative City with a vibrant artist community. I am happy here and have built an online community that brings me great joy.
Artizan Made is connected to TAFA: The Textile and Fiber Art List, a business association of textile and fiber artists, although it operates independently. TAFA is currently undergoing a redesign. Our initial members on Artizan Made were TAFA members who sold online. We expanded our reach by accepting non-member shops that offer other handmade products we love and want to support.
Artizan Made’s products: home décor and eco-fashion, with a special interest in sustainability. We also have handmade supplies and patterns.
Both TAFA and Artizan Made embrace the belief that our historical roots and international connections inform and support each other. As you explore our shops, you will find handmade products made by studio artists, ethical vintage offerings, fair trade groups and makers of handmade supplies. 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 access to form partnerships, exchange ideas and to flourish and grow in unexpected ways.
The Handmade Revolution helps 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. See our Resources Page for some of our favorite sites.
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 helps by providing peer support and joint marketing. We are small, but focused, and our motto unites 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.
