Gifts and home decor with community impact
When you purchase one of our unique products, you're helping us ensure the knowledge and expertise of making beautiful creations get passed down to a new generation of artisans.
We donate to local and global charity partners from every purchase to support important causes. Examples of work we support include crisis and mental health initiatives in Muskoka, and youth programs by Youth for Christ, serving in Ecuador and cities throughout Canada.
Our priorities
Fair trade.
We believe artists deserve to be fairly compensated for their craft. It’s important to us that artisans are blessed by partnering with us, not abused or exploited. Whether our artists live in Quito or Port Carling, we ensure our artists are paid fairly for their talent.
Many of our products are imported from our partner Apresto Taller in Bahía de Caráquez, Ecuador, but we also love to support many local Muskoka artisans.
Handcrafted.
The majority of our products are handcrafted in some form to preserve and celebrate the manual arts. We try to source products that were made by creative minds and hands, resulting in unique products that can legitimately be called “art.”
Small batch.
We try to source and create products that are made in small batches and never mass-produced. This results in more time and care going into each product. In as many cases as possible, our products are not produced in large factories, but rather made with care in creative communities.
Eco-friendly.
We care about our planet and people, and know our customers and artisans do too. Where possible, we seek products made with natural, organic, and recycled materials so they last longer and never go out of style. Our artisans do their best to limit the use of harmful products.
Socially-conscious.
Proceeds from every product we sell support important social causes. Whether we’re funding art programs for at-risk youth in Ecuador, or mental health or crisis services in the Muskoka region, we seek to make a positive impact in communities with the beautiful products we sell.
Hand-picked and handmade for Muskoka
We handpick all of our products and are always on the hunt for unique and useful items that work for life in Canada. We work with artisans around the world, including our own back yard. If you have products you think would work well in our shop, we'd love to hear from you!
Honouring & preserving Indigenous artistic practices
Our logo draws inspiration from ancient Chorrera ceramics. The Chorrera lived in south America and created some of the earliest forms of pottery found in the New World. Unfortunately, their decoratively complex pottery can no longer be recreated because their knowledge was never passed down to the next generation of artisans.
Artisan Trading Post wants to prevent that from happening again by partnering with skilled artisans and loyal customers like you to preserve these Indigenous artistic practices.
Photo: Chorrera human effigy fragment, Musée d'Aucha.
How your purchase impacts lives
Artisan Trading Post is a Muskoka-based social enterprise that works to have a positive impact on global communities through handcrafted arts. We strive to find products that are ethically sourced and fairly traded.
When you buy one of our products, we donate to local and global charity partners that support important causes. Examples of work we support include crisis and mental health initiatives in Muskoka, and youth programs by Youth for Christ, serving in Ecuador and cities throughout Canada.