AW Artisan Wholesale Giftware

Greetings from India Hope you are well. Last week I was telling you about our whiskey drama and how India is not so bad these days. If you missed it you can catch up here. We had made it to the city of Vadodara in Gujarat - a dry state from there our friend the mine owner picked us up and drove us to the famous gemstone artisan town Khambhat which is an unbelievably historic and otherworldly place. Khambhat.. woah this place! Not exactly on any tourist maps. No yoga cafés. No mountain views. Not even a proper hotel (We stayed just out of town at a highway stopover.). Sadly the sea coast silted up and the sea is 10 kilometers in the distance, but they still have a seaside promenade. Many ancient British buildings. And we were taken to a place of epic history totally abandoned. The place is just heat, dust, narrow streets… and history that runs deep. The old town part still has tiny trading stores that look a hundred years old. We have several suppliers in this town, people w...

Greetings from Vadodara, in Gujarat Gujarat is a dry state - alcohol consumption is banned even carrying alcohol is against the law. And both Toni and I have expensive whiskey we bought as presents for friends. Hope we don't get in trouble.. it was a little stressful at the airport..   but so far no problem. Yes I never heard of Vadodara either.   And it's a surprising place. I'll tell you why later. So this week we have been crazy busy, in the Delhi fair - It happens twice a year, this is the Spring fair where many of our suppliers can be found. Last week I was telling you about our last days in Kathmandu, and my thoughts on Gifting Opportunities.. There's lots!   If you missed it you can catch up here . Well… Delhi doesn’t do things quietly. It's been a whirlwind few days at the trade show — reconnecting with suppliers, shaking hands, doing deals, devising products and trying (unsuccessfully) to be in five places at once. Wow they did a great job this y...

Greetings from Aerocity, Delhi. Hope you had a great Valentine's weekend! We have just arrived in India from Kathmandu. Toni and I took an Indigo (very short) flight down to Delhi T3, landing at 3pm. Bondhan, our man in Indonesia, braved Air India and flew from Denpasar to Delhi T3, also landing at 3pm, although a much longer flight. The plan was to meet in the luggage hall. What could possibly go wrong? Amazingly, it worked, and we easily found each other. It's Bondhan's very first trip to India. So this should be interesting, especially since later we will be going hardcore India.  But the first evening is at an airport hotel - in an area called Aerocity.. Basically, all the hotels in the world have built a hotel here. We are staying at a Lemon Tree Hotel, a lovely, well-loved Indian brand that famously employs disabled and disadvantaged people. Recycled water in the toilets, etc. It's very woke.. Trump would hate it. We loved it. This morning, Chatterjee (our man in ...

Oh my goodness I can't tell how good it is to be back in Nepal. I left Sheffield in winter mode, to Manchester airport T2 over a sunny and snow sprinkled Pennines. Then a night flight (via Turkish airways) through Istanbul (always slightly surreal at 1am), a little bit delayed but landed in Kathmandu early afternoon local time.  Kathmandu airport is one of the worst organised in the world , but redeemed by the most lovely people . After the chaotic but jolly baggage hall experience I emerge to that familiar mix of incense, traffic, prayer flags and smiles. If you’ve ever been here, you’ll know what I mean — if you haven’t, it’s a place that gets under your skin very quickly. Coming in to land at KTM caught a spectacular view of the mountains above Kathmandu. Then land at the famously disorganised KMT airport. Last week I was writing to you from Sheffield, my hometown and AW HQ. Talking about plans, people, and movement. I gave you my Top 10 picks for the SOL (Season of Love) - sta...

Greetings from Sheffield - snowy Sheffield This week has been mad, amazing, inspirational and a little stressful.   Valentines Day is almost upon us.. the SOL is in full swing. Last week I was telling you about my arrival here, the crashing racking crisis in Spain and all the new stuff coming.. if you missed it you can catch up here . I'm staying in the Kenwood Hotel in Sheffield, there is a beautiful lake there and I went for a walk and thought about how we humans have used love and romance to get us through the cold of the winter months.. Normally I take a car from our car pool, or hire one while I'm here.. but for some reason I just thought I'd manage with a combo of Uber and Friends just for the human connection.. and yes learn so much. .every taxi driver has a life story to tell..   and got to spend more time with my good friend Katka who is a director at AW.. who kindly picked me up every morning. Thank you!! This morning.. A fresh beautiful Sheffield morni...

  Greetings from Sheffield, United Kingdom. I’m back at the heart of Ancient Wisdom. Coco returned to China on Tuesday. She had a little mishap… 12 hours delayed in Istanbul. But she wasn’t stressed at all; she took it philosophically… and even worked from the waiting lounge. As for me, yesterday I took an EasyJet flight from Malaga: from sapphire-blue skies and sun to the misty skies of Manchester. I wasn’t stressed either — it is what it is. My Uber driver then drove across the Pennines to Sheffield through thick fog. What a contrast. Nevertheless, it feels good to be home. There’s something deeply rooted in Sheffield, where it all began. From this… …to this… The AW Artisan Warehouses A lot is happening at AW right now. Before leaving Spain, I spent time with Toni, who is still deep in the midst of relocating the Spanish warehouse. And when I say “in the midst of relocating,” I mean the kind of situation where everything seems to go wrong at the same time. One drama afte...