Our History

In February of 1995 six people sat around the dining table of Sandy and Doug Ramsey’s home in Sarasota, Florida, united in the passion of making a difference in the world. Most had been involved in a self-help store and saw the difference fair trade could make in the lives of low-income artisans around the globe. Out of that meeting Artisans’ World Marketplace was established to provide a fair trade presence in Sarasota for the entire Gulf Coast region.

Throughout the years Artisans’ World Marketplace has not only helped artisans gain self-sufficiency through the purchase of products, but has channeled financial resources in the form of grants for service projects as needs have been identified to us. The range of needs that we have supported are as follows: