Last week craft association Amata received an unusual question: “Good morning, I’m looking for somebody who can spin the hair of my cat.” As it so happened, there was a spinner in Amata’s data base, living in the same village as the caller!
On another occasion somebody asked for a craftsman who could repair or replace a broken part of some antique furniture. And again, such a person was found within two days.
This is not so surprising as it sounds: Amata has been organising craft fairs over the last 20 years or more and consequently has collected the data of over a thousand artisans from all over Spain and in every imaginable craft, from glass blower to bookbinder, from blacksmith to chairmender. The funny part of it is, that so few people realise how versatile real craft people are.
An artisan is not just somebody who makes nice things to sell in craft fairs. He or she can repair or restore, decorate furniture and other objects, add an image or a text to a chosen piece of work and, last but not least, accept special orders.
In their virtual craft village www.puebloartesano.es Amata introduces you to some forty real artisans and invites you into their workshops and stores, where you can watch them at work and buy what they have made. Other artisans have set up a stall in the virtual fairs that are held in this village.
And if you haven’t found what you are looking for, you can put your request to Amata and they will look for the most suitable artisan for your query. However unusual the ítem you are thinking of, Amata will try and find the person who can make it for you!
