Two months ago the Dumela Bar got moved into what used to be the Reception to make space for the brand new project office. With the move the opportunity arose to expand on the bar activities by adding locally produced souvenirs to the assortment.
Now two month later we have a total of 6 local partners of which one is a weavers collective that employs ten local women.
The first thing you see when you visit the Dumela Shop are the background stories of our contributors. Next to the each story a picture of the contributor can be found accompanied by a number that corresponds with the first number of the product code which can be found on the price tag. This way customers can easily find out who the crafter of their purchase is and what their stories are.
The concept of the shop is that crafters can contribute their crafts to the shop for a set period of time, determined by the crafter. Our job is then to try and sell their pieces of craft within that period of time and if we manage to sell their product they will receive their payment, otherwise we will return their products. This way the crafter does not have any risks on his side and on the long term this system will tell us and the crafters which product are in high demand and therefore which products the crafter can focus on to produce.
The crafters we work with are not chosen by coincidence. All of our contributors are highly skilled but struggling to place their products on the market. Through our contact and the lessons we learn by selling their products at Dumela we can assist in their market development.
Currently our product range includes stone and metal sculptures, table cloth and runners of different sizes and designs, different types of rugs and carpets, bags and many other products.
Our vision for the future is to find more ways to expose our contributors. With the knowledge we gain from selling their products at our shop we could eventually approach other lodges and markets, and thus hopefully secure a sustainable income for the local crafters.
We would also like to make use of this opportunity to once more thank everyone who was involved in creating the shop. To the volunteers who purchased goods at the shop thus supporting the local community and to all the volunteers who brought donations with to the Dumela Lodge, your donations are very much appreciated!