Jason Sandford
Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.
I recently received this note from loyal reader Rachel, who is also the proprietor of what I think is a simply brilliant idea for a new business here in Asheville. She’s just launched www.giveartfully.com, an online gift registry of handmade art and craft. How cool is that?!
I’ll let Rachel explain:
You might be interested in a new Asheville-based business! I just launched giveArtfully.com, the online gift registry of handmade art & craft. A little background: I guess you could say I’m an arts advocate (I studied it in undergrad, and just finished my MA in Arts Administration from UNCC, and most recently worked at a busy art gallery in the River District for a couple of years). When I was getting married in 2007, my fella and I already had the requisite toaster and towels – and I lamented the lack of a creative, interesting, non-traditional gift registry. Thus, giveArtfully.com was born!
As I mentioned, giveArtfully.com is online gift registry of handmade art & craft. The gallery features incredibly talented artists and craftspeople, who create heirlooms worthy of all life’s momentous milestones. There are ceramics & pottery, textiles, handbound books, photographs, and more. Many of the artists featured are WNC-based: Barbara Zaretsky of Cloth Fiber Workshop/BZDesign, Joey Sheehan of Melting Mountain Pottery, Angelique Tassistro of Dog Door Studio, Laura Reese of Cuttlefish, Ink., and Meagan Chaney. Users can essentially select their favorites from this fantastic collection to create their free gift registry. giveArtfully.com is a refreshing alternative to the traditional gift registry.
And it’s not just limited to weddings: anyone can create a free gift registry for any occasion – a wish list for birthdays & holidays, anniversary, housewarming, new baby, etc. With giveArtfully.com, everyone’s an art collector! Or, you can just shop online for that perfect unique gift. Also, 5% of the proceeds from every gift are donated to a nonprofit of the gift-giver’s choice – so the warm fuzzy one gets from giving a handmade gift just got warmer and fuzzier.
Very best,
Rachel Zink
giveArtfully.com
