March 2, 2019 // 10am - 6pm // 1777 NW 24th Avenue, Portland, OR 97210
RSVP TO THE BAZAAR!
Dioum Baskets
Meet Astou Dioum. A veteran of the basket business for over 27 years, she was the first female vendor we’d ever seen at this market. Her dream is to empower women, and with every basket she sells she does just that. When Astou initially began her business, she could only provide 2-3 months of work to the people in her village in Senegal. Now, her baskets bring almost year-round work to 300 women and family members.
While Astou lives in New York now, her daughter lives in Senegal to get an international education and learn multiple languages. Astou hopes her daughter will take over the business one day, continuing the legacy that was passed down from her grandmother and passing it on to future generations.
Mohammed
This is our first year purchasing goods from Mohammed, but we are already in awe of the pieces he brings back from his trips to West Africa. The handwoven Congolese baskets he sold to us are not to be missed, and neither are the stunning woven bags.
Mohammed splits his time between LA and traveling around West Africa, and has the absolute best personality. Are we already looking forward to seeing him next year? Oh, yes we are.
Hamidou Koita
This year marks Hamidou's third year at the market, and our second year buying from him. His bold baskets from Rwanda and Uganda were huge standouts at last year's Bazaar, and we couldn't wait to see what he'd bring this year. He outdid himself, bringing along baskets with a huge variety of colors, designs and sizes!
Theresa "Akua" Fenn
Originally from Madagascar, Theresa and her husband now live in Arizona. We're so excited to be bringing Theresa's goods to our Bazaar for the first time - her handwoven pieces are so strikingly unique. We've got bags, purses, and baskets, each more beautiful than the next.
