In the beginning
Toby, our founder, started selling Brazilian pouffes in 2003 at Dublin’s Blackrock Market. 14 years later Katie took over Planet Craft and the workshop moved to a small (but beautiful) farm in Matfield just outside Tunbridge Wells in Kent. The ethos remains the same, to find great individual products made by skilled artisans and supplied on fair terms to our customers. We will always do our very best to please.
Exciting times..
Now Katie, John and their grown-up children, Rachel with husband Sammy, Callum, Heather and Beth are on the lookout for new products whilst out and about, whether it’s at a Dorset craft fair or on holiday in Cape Town.
We are committed to the idea of ‘fair trade’. We aim to give honest information and to respect our customers, suppliers and all those with whom we work.
Our ideas about buying
Our small, but perfectly formed company deal direct with the artisans, their families and their small businesses. We offer an alternative to mass-produced products. Due to the way the artisans work they simply can’t produce large quantities (products we sell have cheaper mass-produced alternatives). Mass produced iPhones and Sunday Times papers are great but there’s an intrinsic value in what we are selling. Each product’s manufacture only involves a few people and they put something of themselves into each piece. We don’t put pressure on our suppliers to work in a way that would reduce quality, or pride in products, or working conditions or that would encourage outsourcing.
A force for good
As a family and small business owners we are concerned about the origin of the products we select. We have a keen interest in animal welfare, the environment and working conditions and try to ensure your custom, through our small business, is a force for good. Many websites pay lip service to this kind of ethos these days but we’re not doing it to brand ourselves ‘green’. It feels right for us. In practice this might mean making a phone call to the artisan to check the origin of a certain leather, or, saying “no” to something even though you know it may make you a little money!
The Future’s exciting!
Future plan include a visit to Lima in Peru to source alpaca products and pom – poms and Costa Rica to forge links with a fledgling woman’s co-op! Can’t wait!
Company Details
Lanigan’s Emporium; Company Number 10926484
Check out our rustic wooden photo frames in our shop