CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QC Life) - “Instead of finding a solution, I became the solution,” Medha Shenoy, a local business owner said about her mission to help Indian artists get compensated fairly for their hard work.
We invited Medha Shenoy, the founder and CEO of the ‘Abhivyakti Gift Shop’ to the studio to share her unique and extraordinary business concept. She was accompanied by Tim Miner, with ‘Charlotte is Creative’.
Shenoy said after a trip to India, she realized that while made-in-India merchandise is sold for a good price in the US, that money does not go to the hard-working artists.
“One [artist] had to eat grass during COVID because he had no money to buy food because his family was in the hospital,” Shenoy said.
She’s made it her mission to advocate for these artisans by sharing their stories through their artworks. According to Shenoy, all the items she sells include a picture of the artists and some information about them.
ADVERTISEMENT
She also highlighted, that the proceeds from the sale go directly to the artist who created the item.
Every year, Shenoy goes back to her home country for two months, traveling to different villages and getting to know the people who live there. She said she found many of the artists she works with on these trips.
“Sometimes the floor is so dirty, but the people, their kindness and heart, it fills you,” Shenoy said.
One of the artists even opened his own business, offering workshops and teaching a 4,000-year-old Indian art form, after receiving the proceeds from selling his artwork in Shenoy’s shop.
The Abhivyakti Gift Shop is located in Concord and operates from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
For more information, be sure to visit her website and follow her on Facebook and Instagram.
Copyright 2024 WBTV. All rights reserved.