We had the good fortune of connecting with Ciatta-mae Stubblefield and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ciatta-mae, one of the cofounders of Craft Savvy Market. where are you from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
Craft Savvy Market was founded three years ago by four Liberian makers – Charlene, Mina, Jandi and me. We have a saying from our homeland that says “It’s in the blood” when referring to the similarities in the thread that connects members of a family. Our West African culture is “in the blood” and impacts our maker voices and designs. As individual makers, Charlene’s @suakokobetty clothing line celebrates modern African design; Mina’s brand @najartucollections showcases Ankara jewelry; Jandi’s brand @pepperbush_accessories features Ankara bonnets and accessories and my brand @lappastoriesstyle offers African-inspired journals and cards. As founders of Craft Savvy Marker, we bring to the table our West African mindset which celebrates working together as a community. West Africa will always be in the blood for our individual brands and as co-founders, our community mindset inspires us to welcome and appreciate global aesthetics and designs.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
After our second market, we took a leap of faith and wanted to double the size of our market. Not only would this require more planning, it was also a bigger financial risk. When we first considered the idea, we were scared and had a lot of questions about how things would work. Working as a team really emboldened us to take more risks that perhaps as solo entrepreneurs, we would not have been willing to take. Each person brings a measure of faith and hard work and we know that at the end of the day we are not walking alone. We’ve learned the importance of serving our maker community even after the market day is over. We want to be known as the market that nurtures makers and helps them to thrive.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
We would take them to downtown Decatur for some Indian street food at Chai Pani and then head to Little Five Points to take in the sights and do some vintage shopping. We’d rent bikes and ride the belt line to check out some art walls and wrap up at Loca Luna for lots of dancing and tapas. Next up, Slutty Vegan would be on the menu for the best ever vegan burgers, as well as a visit to the National Center for Civil and Human Rights. Finally we would head to Mina’s kitchen for the best Liberian food.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Charlene @suakokobetty
MIna – @najartucollections
Jandi – @pepperbush_accessories
My brand  – @lappastoriesstyle

We meet every week to dream, plan, debate and move our vision forward. We encourage each other, teach each other and I am amazed at how much progress we’ve made personally and as a business because of the relationships we’ve built.

Website: https://craftsavvymarket.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/craftsavvymarket/?hl=en
Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/craftsavvymarket/?ref=bookmarks

Image Credits
Craft Savvy Market, Sangima Lee