We’re celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month by spotlighting spotlighting AAPI-owned brands on Abound and using our platform to share their stories in their own words.
Meet Sakshi Mehrotra of Bit of Meraki—contemporary, bohemian & handmade home decor goods by artisans. Learn more about Sakshi’s story below, and browse Bit of Meraki on Abound. 🚀
“We’re a woman-owned social enterprise that aims to empower artisans by imbibing their traditional handmade techniques into modern home décor textiles like wall hanging, rugs, poufs, throw pillows, etc. We pride ourselves in being conscious about our environment and have all our products made with only natural materials and chemical free dyes.
I have always been passionate about contributing to our communities in India through charitable donations and also via working in a social enterprise in Delhi. I was fascinated by the talent and will of the people in the villages to uplift themselves and live like the people in the urban cities. Bit of Meraki was just an idea back in India and seemed like a long shot however when I moved to the US, I saw the opportunity of showcasing this talent at a global scale.
India has so much to offer and is a diverse land of culture and tradition which changes every few miles and that’s what I wanted to provide a platform to these communities to show their skills while keeping the designs modern and chic. We ensure they get fair wages and are closely involved in their skill development as well. During COVID-19, we’ve helped artisan families through donations too who have lost a family member.
As an AAPI business owner, I have to be thankful to have the support of my community in Austin. They were so welcoming and there are so many avenues to network, learn and implement. I would definitely give that city a lot of credit for helping us achieve a lot of our milestones however I do feel that small businesses and AAPI business owners can get more attention when it comes to funding and scaling their businesses. I feel there’s a huge gap there and a lot of funding that’s available comes with so many caveats that it’s difficult to avail. There can also be more representation of this community in partner marketing platforms, websites or social media (not just for the month) where we can talk about our stories, our struggles and anything else that we can share to motivate other business owners.
I would like to add that as a company we strongly believe that every person on this planet should have the basic resources available to them, the most important being clean water. That’s something that shouldn’t come at a cost or should be a thing of privilege based on the country you’re in. Clean water directly impacts health and indirectly impacts education, standard of living, hence it’s becoming more and more important to make sure every single person has access to it.
Through Bit of Meraki purchases we donate a percentage of our sales to the cause of funding clean water wells in marginalized communities of Africa.”
— Sakshi Mehrotra
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