"Gift Shows" in Mexico

It's no secret that the staff of retail specialty shops attend gift shows to find most of their merchandise. The look of a shop is determined by the "eye" of the buyer. Mexico has it's share of gift shows and a couple of them cater to handcrafted art and decor. We at Chiripa are always hopeful that we might find a new source of product when we attend one of these shows. Our preferred buying method is to go to the source, the people who make the product; but, that's not always possible.


The foremost handcraft show in Mexico is ENART held twice a year in Tlaquepaque, Jalisco. The exposition is held in this impressive structure of interlocking rooms and courtyards.

We've met wonderful people there who have continued to be our suppliers. We sometimes visit their workshops to meet the artists crafting the products. This is how we first met the owners of D'Casa described in the post dated August 2008.

This past February we attended a COFOCE exposition featuring artisan crafts of the state of Guanajuato. It was held in San Miguel de Allende which is one of our frequent stops when shopping in Mexico. So, we decided to give it a try.


The setting was enchanting. The exposition hall was a converted hacienda with fabulous gardens and courtyards that enhanced the goods for sale. (Remember, this was February when back home in Madison, Wisconsin it was sub-zero with blizzard conditions.) We found a couple new sources for products and met one of our regular vendors at this show. I'll post stories of some when I have the product in house and can show it better. But, the following picture is a preview of one of our new products: the traditional ceramic hanging peppers.


We like to share our sources because ultimately we want more people to appreciate the beautiful crafts of Mexico. The earrings in the next photo are an example of a product that we buy at ENART. We love the designs of Francisco Sanchez Sahagun sold through his company Citlali. Their website is lovely, but you cannot buy online. We have a good supply in the shop right now and a few samples of his work in the jewelry section of our webisite. If you enter the word "Citlali" in the search field, you'll get just those pieces.


Meanwhile, it's April 16 and we're still waiting for all of the product we ordered in February to come together in Guadalajara to be shipped here. Patience. I must be patient. . .