After years of dedication to showcasing the beauty of Haitian crafts, Kay Atizan is holding a special pre-Christmas weekend sale from Saturday to Sunday, December 22-23, at its location at 43 Rue Magny, in Pétion-Ville, Haiti, in celebration of its seven-year anniversary.
Founded by Simone Ambroise (left) in 2006, Kay Atizan is Pétion-Ville’s leading craft store, offering a broad range of superb Haitian handcrafts to regional and international clients. Simone is dedicated to featuring works by gifted rural micro-entrepreneurs, playing a crucial role in bringing them into the formal sector of the economy. Kay Atizan’s success is a perfect example of an ATA-associated craft business having made the journey from a small, informal business to a legally registered, sustainable private enterprise.
Kay Atizan, which means “The Artisan’s Place”, originated with the USAID supported Haitian Entrepreneurs and Artisans Restore Trade (HEART) program, a multi-year, multi-million dollar craft development program implemented by Aid to Artisans in the years ending in 2005. Ambroise served as the local Sales Manager, responsible for the ATA showroom based in Port-au-Prince. Under Jane Griffiths, then Vice President of Marketing for ATA, Ambroise and other ATA Haiti staff transformed the showroom into a fabulous, vibrant and colorful store, a popular destination for consumers and professional buyers.
As HEART concluded after three years, the ATA store had to find a Haitian successor. This prompted Ambroise to open her own store and to become an expert in local and export marketing. She was determined to expand and grow her business by applying the broad experience gained through the collaboration with Aid to Artisans. Over the years, Kay Atizan became the place of choice for Haitian artisans to exhibit and sell their products.
During the USAID Market Chain Enhancement (MarChe) program, which ran from 2008 to 2010, Kay Atizan played a crucial part as a craft exporter, completing orders not only for Kay Atizan, but also for other Haitian artisan businesses. Ambroise completed the ATA Market Readiness Program (MRP) held at the New York International Gift Fair and used her knowledge to become a business trainer for artisans herself.
In June 2009, during Haiti MarChE, prominent US movie production and set designers, Marla Weinhoff and Meghan Duran, visited Haiti to hold training workshops with Haitian retailers. In their efforts to help improve merchandising and display in Haitian stores, they worked at helping Ambroise with the painting and decorating of Kay Atizan. The dramatic transformation of the store marked the beginning of an extended period of growth and prosperity for the business.
Now a popular tourist hot spot, Kay Atizan continues to be a sanctuary for Haiti crafts, music, and food, where the country’s culture is celebrated every day.
