Thanks to a Saskatoon entrepreneur, Aboriginal artisans now have a new online site in which to sell their wares.
Heather Abbey launched ShopIndigenous.ca earlier this month and the new site has 25 different categories for various Aboriginal items including jewelry, music and fine art.
Abbey says she hopes the website fills what she sees as an existing gap in the marketplace.
“I saw a need definitely as there are dozens and hundreds of Aboriginal artisans, they had nowhere to sell their stuff, they couldn’t access the markets, they didn’t have the knowledge or ability to access a global market for sure,” she says. “It’s just a matter of convenience and accessibility for them.”
Abbey says although the website is still in its early stages, interest seems high so far.
“We seem to be reaching about 12 to 17 additional users every hour,” she says. “We had about 350 items on the website at launch and right now that’s hit almost 500 items and the users are coming in from everywhere.”
She adds if you are interested in something by an Aboriginal artisan, chances are you can probably find it on this site.
There is everything on the site from literature to mukluks and moccasins, Abbey says.
The young entrepreneur placed first in the 2013 Aboriginal Youth Idea Challenge and third in CBC’s 2012 Aboriginal Boom Box competition.