Even in this post-feminist era, women around the globe still don’t receive equal pay for equal work. So until we get our fair share, we like to support our fellow sisters any way we can. Especially when it involves shopping.
Artistri - Atelier Boutique sells beautiful handmade items by local and international female artisans. Owner Jennifer Lonergan selects the products herself, working directly with women’s artisan collectives in India, Nepal, Jordan and South Africa. (And the result is more high-end art gallery than craft booth at Lilith Fair.)
Blown away by the colourful quilts ($800-$950) on the walls by Montrealer Sandra Jones, we were soon drawn to the hand-embroidered silk and cotton bags ($35-$80) from the Kutch area in India. Then we spotted hard-sided bags ($19-$50) from Delhi, made of recycled plastic bags fused together in fashionable patterns. We scooped up an ornate photo album from Nepal ($95), filled with pages of handmade paper, and admired the oh-so modern pottery ($15-$98) of Anne Marie Garceau.
As we were leaving, we fell in love with a tussar silk scarf ($70-$105) from the south of India. We just couldn’t resist—how could we not perform such an act of selfless solidarity?
Artistri - Atelier Boutique
www.artistri.ca
5319 Parc Ave. (East side, near Fairmont)
514-461-4437
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