Our Story
After moving to a new home, our founder Michelle Cheung found the problem of wanting to decorate her place to tell her own story but not wanting to buy meaningless, colorless décor at big box retailers. Simultaneously, she felt conflicted to be living in LA one of the most expensive places in this country, but also knowing many living in poverty and experiencing injustice around the world. Hence, she founded this company to bridge the two: where we can purchase meaningful, bright, and beautiful pieces from artisans who are trying to exit poverty, labor exploitation, or economic instability. Many of these artisans originate from countries like Colombia, Uganda, Rwanda, India, Vietnam, where color expresses their culture and community. Likewise, Michelle being an Asian American, craved that color connection that she could not find in mainstream American stores.
The artisans are paid fair wages, multiple times higher than the normal market rate. The nonprofit partners we partner with, who are wholesalers on behalf of these artisans, host business education programs to continuously grow their skills. These artisans either join a collective of fellow artisans, start their own collective, or start their own independent small business.
Our products will not be the cheapest you find in the market for the same type of commodity. That's because our material costs our suppliers charge include the money that is used to reinvest into their education programs and/or for higher wages.
We also don't claim to stop poverty by purchasing these products, but each purchase you make is helping to change their lives and provide sustainable income. We know poverty is complicated and we are only one small part of breaking that cycle. Many have gone before us to do the hard work of relief and rehabilitation for some of our artisans who have suffered through war and conflict or unstable economies. We're happy to participate now in their stage of development with a mutual exchange of buying their intricately made and modernly designed goods for the joy it brings in our homes.
Thank you for being on this journey with us to bring purpose and beauty into your homes.
