How important is it to support local brands? How important is it to encourage small businesses? What does it take to give them small push they might be in need of?
I recently have gotten pro-active regarding buying local. Honestly, this is not only to support small businesses but also tbh, our local businesses are far more authentic and budget friendly than multinationals. We somehow have this psychology that the more expensive the product and the more famous the brand, the better the product. It was not until a few years back that I visited Thata Kedona with our instructor and I instantly fell in love. So pure, so soulful and so so full of stories. Thata Kedona is a village where the women made dolls for a living. The women were encouraged and taught by a German Lady.
Dolls hand made by women in the village.
To promote Pakistan’s traditional skills and heritage and to raise awareness about them among the youth, Lok Virsa is holding a series of programmes titled ‘Craft of the Month’ where one craft is focused on every month.
http://thattakedona.blogspot.com/2015/12/doll-making-event-aims-to-teach.html
Now that are talking about promotion of small businesses, here a few examples that are bringing together businesses on one platform.
VCEELA.COM
An online platform that supports artisans by becoming their face.
VCEELA.COM is well-thought online platform where you can get variety of all sorts with just one click.. I love khussas so I clicked on it and was so surprised to see how convenient it was to shop with so much variety. I can clearly see who the brand is, I can see the price, and I can compare, what else can a customer want?
Polly and other stories
Another brand owned by german women, with their shop in DHA
Polly and other stories sells items tad bit expensive, I mean, sometimes I feel maybe I need to contact the real owner, the maker, and pay them directly, why would I want a third party to benefit from the profit? But then I think, one way of another, i’m helping more than 2 parties and that might not be a bad deal. By paying polly, I’m assuring them that they need to keep stocking local. Make sense?
Daachi
A NGO that holds exhibitions of small business every year.
Daachi has been a hit every since I can remember. It is a perfect platform where you can talk and have conversations with the vendors, the artisans, look at the work and hear stories in return.
Tools & Technology in Art Education 