A long time ago, really a long time ago, I had this great idea of a web site offering Costa Rica products. After all, since everyone is so wild about Costa Rica, why wouldn’t it work? They could order Imperial and Britt Coffee and have it delivered right to their doorsteps. Well, that idea never came to fruition, but instead evolved into the notion of a web site that gave local artists a portal to peddle their crafts to those outside the country. But the exact who, what and where of that idea became a little exasperating as there are countless artists in every corner of the country (another thing that I love about this place). So I began thinking of something more focused and sustainable, something that could possibly make a difference, as well as potentially being a fruitful business opportunity. Then all of a sudden, eureka! The idea came to me to do a site focused exclusively on indigenous art. After all, what better token of Costa Rica than something made by an authentic indigenous person? And they make some really cool stuff. So over the past several months I have been traveling around the country meeting with these diverse indigenous groups and making small art buys for the purposes of building a web site. What I ended up with is an office full of art. Sitting there all day looking at all this beautiful stuff, I begin to think how can I take this even a step further? Eureka once again! How about a Costa Rican Artisans store? A place where you can buy authentic indigenous art rather than some souvenir trinket that says “pura vida,” but was actually “made in China.” So after months and months of deliberation, planning and traveling around making friends with these great people, the Costa Rican Artisans store will open this week (with the web site, Ebay Store, Facebook Group, etc. to follow soon thereafter). The idea is to do this as a “partnership” with the indigenous. In that light, we make our buys on a “fair trade” basis, in which the indigenous receive a fair price and get the cash upfront…not when a sale is later made. We also will be donating 10% of total sales proceeds to indigenous projects. Moreover, we plan to offer you the opportunity to get involved helping these people, who are often overlooked by the government and live in extremely harsh conditions. Like Package Costa Rica, I truly believe Costa Rican Artisans will be a labor of love for me. Nothing is easy and I don’t expect this to be any different, but when you are doing something that you feel really makes a difference, it makes the rough spots much more endurable.
Costa Rican Indigenous Art Squidoo Lens
Costa Rican Artisans Web Site (click here)
Comments