Kiki Kazickas, Associate Buyer – Food, Drink and Garden
My hometown is…
The Tri-state area.
I’m inspired by…
The endless opportunities for exploration both abroad and within our own country.
What I love about Merchandising is...
Nurturing the connection between designers, retailers, and customers with exceptional product.
When I’m not at work, I’m usually…
Acting as sous chef in our kitchen and playing with our foster dogs.
My favorite place to bring out-of-towners is…
6BC Botanical Garden. This community garden was near my old apartment in Alphabet City and it is truly a magical oasis.
In the summer I like to…
Let the sun shine on my SPF-covered face.
An uncommon fact about me is…
I named myself. My parents couldn’t figure out the right nickname for me, so at 2 years old I declared myself “Kiki” and haven’t gone by my legal name since.
If I could put my desk anywhere in the world it would be…
On the deck of a boat where it will always be 80 degrees and sunny and I can travel to wherever I like. Then move it to a van for inland adventures.
2 Comments
Dear Kiki..as a volunteer I have been working with a fabulous group of poor women who creative their income by making a high quality product.
These strong oilcloth bags are made by a group of women in Palomas which is a border town with New Mexico. They are very poor, but now that we have been able to contact good stores like yours, they are doing better. My wife and I have been helping them for a number of years.
When your store name was given to me, and I looked over your site, Artisan Center appears to be a perfect store. I did see that you support American craftsmen. However, all the support these woman receive is through purchases of their creative work. They even have learned to do there own accounting and banking as well as billing. They have made wonderful strides. They live on our border where drugs are sold. By creating markets, they avoid what is going on and keep their children fed, in school and clothed.
I have used these bags for grocery shopping and they last years. To see them is to love them.
Border Partners is based in Deming, NM. Many people coming and volunteer in in Palomas.
Alex, rather than asking for an order, may I send you a couple of bags of different sizes?
Hi, Tom! Thanks for getting in touch with us. The best way to get a product (or selection of products) under our buyers’ eyes is to submit it using the form on our website. You can find that here. Please let us know if you have any further questions!