Meet Breanne Mashek of Kinship Market in University Hills

Today we’d like to introduce you to Breanne Mashek.

Breanne, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I cofounded Kinship Market a little over a year ago after my business partner and I had been traveling to Guatemala for about four years. We saw a need that wasn’t being addressed in a traditional giving model, and we saw resources and opportunities in Guatemala that just needed an outlet stateside. Our vision from the beginning has been to represent artisans from Guatemala by importing handmade, premium quality textiles and accessories. Each item showcases traditional weaving and embroidery techniques that have been a part of a rich and diverse Guatemalan culture for centuries. These textiles illustrate the stories of both current and ancient Maya culture.

We carry out this vision online at www.kinshipmarket.org and at farmer’s markets, pop up shops, private events and artisan markets.

We are committed to consistently making an investment back into our artisan partners each time we source more inventory, creating a small circular economy. It’s all about creating sustainable communities.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Of course business is not always a smooth road. Even when coming in with entrepreneurial backgrounds, it was a new industry for myself and my business partner Tom. Figuring out imports, customs, logistics and the most cost AND time effective standards continues to be a work in progress. We’re also still discovering our target market through much trial and error. Every day we get to keep doing this though is a success.

Please tell us more about your work. What do you do? What do you specialize in? What sets you apart from competition?
We support women artisans from rural Guatemala by importing and selling their handmade wares around the world. Our job sustains their jobs! We are known for our bags and accessories, the full-grain leather and upcycled huipil (traditional Guatemalan blouse material) bags are a crowd favorite, as are our various market tote bags and pouches. We also carry a lot of gift items, such as woven front blank cards, beaded bird accessories, scrunchies, tassel and macrame jewelry, and home goods like pillowcases and dish towels.

Nearly everything we source is upcycled in some way. Creating an eco-friendly business was an added benefit we originally hadn’t anticipated, the artisans were already doing the work of recycling their beautiful textiles so now we like to highlight this to draw more attention for the need of creatively repurposing raw materials.

Something that sets us apart is our relationships with our artisan partners. We are getting to know our (mostly) women artisans and with each repeat trip to Guatemala, we spend more time together and get to learn a little more of their story. Their story is an important one as the majority of these hard-working indigenous peoples have been oppressed and marginalized for most of their lives. Few have little more than a handful of years in basic education. Yet they are driven, smart, humble, and incredibly hospitable. We take the sharing of their stories very seriously because we hope to help them create a different future for their children through education and a positive trajectory for their rural communities. Another quip we employ is to simply state, “it’s way more than a bag”.

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
Good luck has led us into several relationships in Guatemala that we couldn’t have planned or fathomed. There are fortunately many ties that Coloradans have with Guatemala, nonprofits, schools, and the like. One of my best friends had adopted children from Guatemala over a dozen years ago and our kids have grown up together, if we didn’t have that relationship or initial connections, I don’t know if Guatemala would have even come into our consciousness. Having community already invested in the lives of our Guatemalan friends has proved very advantageous, and generally, the people of Denver have been incredibly receptive to hearing the sacred stories that we are privileged to share.

Pricing:

• Janis bucket purse by Zoila $139
• Macrame necklace by Carlota $34
• Market Tote 2.0 by Martina Suy $49
• Tassel Crossbody by Zoila $99
• Beaded Pajaro by Lidia $22

Contact Info:

• Address: University Hills, Denver
  80222
  (Local pickup available for online orders!)
• Website: www.kinshipmarket.org
• Phone: 3038707434
• Email: breanne@kinshipmarket.org
• Instagram: @KinshipMarket
• Facebook: @KinshipMarket

Image Credit:
All photos property of Breanne Mashek, artisan photos used with permission

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