Happy Fourth Anniversary to The Little Market!

by Lauren Conrad

October 25, 2017

Happy Fourth Anniversary to The Little Market!

I am very excited to say that this week marks four years since my friend Hannah Skvarla and I founded The Little Market, our nonprofit online fair trade shop. In October 2013, The Little Market carried products made by eight artisan groups in five countries. Now, The Little Market carries products made by 56 artisans groups in 28 countries.

Hannah and I founded The Little Market to empower women around the world who are striving to create a brighter future for themselves and their families. We are constantly inspired by each of our hardworking and talented partners. Every time we travel, we look forward to exploring local markets and finding new artisan-made goods that showcase rich cultural traditions and heritage. These trips are special to us because we have the opportunity to meet with the artisans, learn their stories, and learn about their cultural traditions that make each and every product incredibly unique.

Photo by Valorie Darling

When we first traveled across the world together, we visited nonprofits in Africa focused on empowering women and children. After this trip, we knew we needed to create a way to allow female artisans to reach conscious consumers around the world, without any limit by geography. We met with experts in the human rights field and, motivated by our responsibility to help others, we combined our backgrounds in fashion, décor, human rights, and international development to create our fair trade shop. The Little Market has brought together a few passions—empowering women, learning about new handicraft techniques, and finding ways to help preserve them.

Photo by Yoni Goldberg

The Little Market carries ethically sourced, artisan-made goods, and every purchase contributes to a sustainable, dependable income for artisans and their families. Many of the artisan co-ops and the social enterprises that we work with provide resources including training programs, access to education, and family healthcare.

Photo by Valorie Darling

Each artisan partner has an inspiring story. The groups include individuals who have faced gender inequalities, are survivors of domestic violence, are survivors of sex trafficking, have fled violence in their home countries, are young mothers, and have experienced extreme poverty.

We are humbled and thankful for our artisan partners, our customers, and everyone who has supported this journey. It is because of our collective efforts that meaningful, purposeful opportunities are being created for artisans around the world.