Ottawa Artisans - An online solution that links local buyers and artisans!
Ottawa Artisans launched on February 1st 2020 as a solution for hyper-local shopping of handmade artisans goods. The idea behind the platform was to provide a quick and easy solution for crafters to safely and efficiently sell their products and for buyers to be able to browse a large catalogue of products while also completing their purchases on a secure platform. Needless to say, with Covid hitting our society shortly after launch, the need to provide a good online service only became more urgent and Ottawa Artisans grew exponentially! While many of the artisans on the site are also on world-wide platform like Etsy, Ottawa Artisans answers the need to find makers from whom shoppers can quickly pick-up their purchases while also supporting directly the local economy.
---
In September 2020, Ottawa Artisans hosted its first Virtual Craft Market where buyers were able to fill a cart with products from multiple vendors and receive it all at once in a convenient delivery or pick-up. This virtual model was a great alternative to in-person markets as buyers were able to browse products from more than a hundred makers in the comfort of their own home! Now three years down the line, Ottawa Artisans still hold popular virtual markets to allow online shopping around big yearly holidays.
---
As we now celebrate our third year in business, Ottawa Artisans is home to 500 makers and more than 17 000 products. Andréanne has partnered with Kathy Leedom and Jeff Parker to open some brick and mortar Ottawa Artisans Stores featuring makers from the platform and beyond. The Ottawa Artisans Stores can be found at Tanger Outlets Kanata, Bayshore Shopping Center, Billings Bridge, St-Laurent Shopping Center, Place d'Orleans and The Rideau Center (June 2023).
Kathy and Jeff are also the owners and operators of the Ottawa Artisans Summer Markets which are held at Tanger Outlets and the St-Laurent Shopping Center.
---
If you would like to inquire about Ottawa Artisans, please contact us at hello@ottawaartisans.com.
Andréanne King - Ottawa Artisans Founder
Andréanne King was born in Gatineau and spent most of her life on that side of the river! With a Bachelor and Masters from the University of Ottawa in Second Language Education, her career started in schools as a French teacher and working for Middlebury Interactive Languages. After a year teaching English abroad in China, Andréanne discovered a passion for business and marketing in relation to education. Her first business - Blended Play - offers online games for the classroom where teachers can add their own review questions to engaging whole-class activities! In 2018, as she was pregnant with her first child, Andréanne taught herself to sew and discovered the craft community of Ottawa. When looking for places to sell the busy books she was making, Andréanne found out that Ottawa could really use an easy to shop platform for makers to showcase their creations. In 2020, Ottawa Artisans was born and is now a wide-network of local crafters with a passion for community! Since then, Andréanne has launched Northern Leaf Co. which is the brand of her apparel and jewelry business and in Next Craft Marker's Market which is a website to shop crafting materials and blanks in Ottawa.
Kathy Leedom and Jeff Parker - Ottawa Artisans Stores and Markets owners
Ottawa Artisans in the press:
- Ottawa Artisans on Rogers TV (Apr 2023)
- Ottawa Artisans Store Opening - City News Ottawa (Feb 2021)
- Ottawa Social Scene - Community Builders (Oct 2020)
- Ottawa Life Magazine (Aug 2020)
- Stittsville Central (Jan 2020)
