Celebrate Asian American Heritage by Supporting These AAPI-Owned Etsy Stores
Everyone loves shopping on Etsy, whether it’s for vintage finds, unique homemade creations, or niche gifts you can’t find anywhere else. Now there’s even more to get excited about, as the eclectic online marketplace has launched something special to celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
Etsy has made it easy to show your support for the AAPI community today (and every day). By shopping their page specifically created to highlight AAPI-run stores, you can learn more about individual shop owners, hear their stories, and find wonderful items that reflect the creativity, culture, and heritage of their diverse community. This list is just a sneak preview of all you can find on this creatively curated new page.
1. Pyarful
These greeting cards and gifts embrace and reflect South Asian traditions to the fullest! Visit this shop for cute cards designed to reflect South Asian experiences through lovely design elements and catchy, playful sayings. Creator Krisa Tailor-Aurora was inspired by her own heritage and wanted to create products that celebrated her South Asian American identity. As she told Etsy, “I hope through my work I can teach my daughter to embrace her roots, her identity, and the little things that make her who she is.”
Our Faves:
Paneer or Far You’re Always in My Heart Greeting Card
2. Aerangis
Who loves candles? (Answer: we all do). What sets these candles apart is their beautiful, handcrafted jars made by local artisans. Alicia Tsai, a first-generation Taiwanese immigrant, strives to honor her country’s culture and history through distinctive scents and uniquely crafted candle jars. She says, “As for the candles themselves, each scent is inspired by a memory and tells its own story…[including] scents that incorporate Taiwanese culture and tell the stories of my hometown.”
Our Faves:
Naoshi
Looking for something fun, creative, and unique? How about checking out Naoshi, a wonderful shop where the artwork is mostly made with “sunae,” or shiny colored sand. Looking to make the world a brighter place with her art, Naoko Kikuchi says she was inspired by manga and Japanese comedy shows and that, through sunae, she is “inspired to live life brightly each day.” Now who can argue with that?
Our Faves:
Other Stores to Check Out
AllAboutAmi – Crochet patterns for those creatives among us
InsCeramics — Handmade tea sets made just for you
TomoandEdie — Vintage Japanese hair accessories
These are just some of the examples of the quirky, cute, and thoughtfully crafted items to be inspired by on Etsy’s page of AAPI-owned stores. With so much to choose from, you can support the AAPI community now and always by learning about these amazing artists and designers and their unique items that celebrate the beauty, culture, and heritage of the Asian American/Pacific Islander Community.
