Roots (Karigar India)

Our shop, Roots, is tucked away at 3 & 4 Dickerson Road. We also go by Karigar India because we work a lot with people who make things by hand. It’s a bit of a cluttered space, full of samples and materials. We’ve been here for a while, and the neighborhood has changed a lot around us. We aren't a big factory. It’s just a few of us who really care about how things are made. We spend a lot of time talking to the artisans and figuring out how to bring their work to people. Sometimes the roof leaks a little when it rains hard, but we just move the boxes and keep going. We don't have a shiny storefront with big lights. It’s more like a workshop where you can come in and see what we’re working on. We get a lot of dust from the road, so we spend a lot of time cleaning. We aren't trying to be a global brand. We just want to keep these traditional skills alive and make sure the people making them can earn a living. It’s honest work, and it keeps us busy from morning until night. We like the quiet afternoons when we can just sit and look at the new pieces that have come in from the villages. It’s a good life, even if it is a bit messy sometimes.