Happy Small Business Saturday! This holiday season, the Alliance for Artisan Enterprise urges our members, partners, and supporters to use their purchasing power for good - #ShopSmall and #ChooseArtisan.

American Express launched Small Business Saturday in 2010 to encourage people across the United States to support small and local businesses. In 2014, American Express estimates that over $14 billion was spent at small, independent businesses. The Alliance for Artisan Enterprise is proud to support this holiday shopping tradition.

The Alliance was created to elevate the power and potential of the artisan sector to create jobs, increase incomes, and foster sustainable community development. Investing in artisans also preserves unique cultural traditions that in many places are at risk of being replaced by lower quality, machine-made products.

This holiday season, remember the Alliance for Artisan Enterprise. Handcrafted goods are high-quality and unique, and they share stories of culture and heritage. Buying artisan work protects the livelihoods of women entrepreneurs around the world.

As Secretary of State John Kerry remarked at Artisan Enterprise: The New Startup Economy in September 2015, "There is a hunger to remain connected to our roots and to value products that are crafted with really unique skills and with attention to detail. There's an honesty and authenticity in those products that is hard to find in a lot of other places. There's a hunger to make a difference and to help people who deserve help so that they, in turn, can take advantage of new opportunities and thereby contribute to a more diverse, sustainable, and equitable global economy."

Contribute to a more equitable global economy. This December, the Alliance will feature our members that produce and sell artisan goods. Follow @AllianceArtisan on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to stay involved. Learn about communities around the world that participate in the artisan sector. Remember that handmade is human - #ShopSmall and #ChooseArtisan.

Feel free to reach out to info@allianceartisan.org with any questions!