Casa Granada is the fruition of a lifelong dream of mine: to share with all of you the beautiful and unique items from artisans and small businesses I have found on my travels!

I am Andrea Payne, and I am the daughter of Colombian immigrants. I have always loved traveling and hunting for special mementos from my journeys, especially items that were handcrafted and represented artisanal techniques from their place of origin. Friends and family members would ask where I had gotten a given item, and I would feel sad that I couldn't share the artisan or designer, since they were typically in Colombia!

In 2021, I decided to take the plunge and, with the support of my family and friends, I flew to Colombia and purchased a variety of handmade goods, from placemats to earrings, napkin rings to purses, and held a small, invitation-only pop-up to see how people responded. The event was a success, and I launched Casa Granada from there!

The vast majority of the products we carry are from Colombia, although we also carry some items from Mexico that we found on our travels. We hope to expand our inventory in the future to include products from other countries we visit and love.

I am so glad you are here, and I thank you for taking the time to see the shop and support the incredible and talented artisans and designers Casa Granada works with.

Our Values

Coming from a Colombian family and from a nonprofit background, it is important for me to have fair and ethical practices in place for this business. Our business is not to get the products by any means, but to have respectful relationships that recognize each partner as an equal professional.

You should know that:

• We do not negotiate with artisans–they set the price, and we pay it. We know they are the experts in their field, not us.
• We pay promptly and in the form the artisan requests (e.g.: paying advances or deposits for purchasing material).
• While artisans give us a general time frame for order completion, we understand that things come up and life happens. Weather can impact an artisan leader’s ability to get back to their hometown to pick up orders, or family members can get sick. As such, we try to build in extra time for orders.
  
• We build relationships and work with the same artisan groups over time.
• We pay for all our inventory upfront. The artisan trade is unfortunately one with low margins, and artisans rely on our orders for their families’ sustenance. As such, we take on the risk of owning the inventory, not them.
• We use the designers’ branding when it exists; we want to elevate their brands, not replace them.
• We have met personally with almost every single artisan and designer we work with.

We continue to look for ways to strengthen our relationships with artisans and support their work. We defer to their expertise, knowledge, and way of doing business, and work with them to ensure their labor is valued adequately. We also support artisan workshops' fundraising for holiday events, as well as for humanitarian relief in their local communities, if the need arises.

Why Casa Granada?

To be honest, it took me a long time to decide on the name! I knew I wanted to have "casa" or "house" as part of the name, because I love the idea of a shop as a welcoming, hospitable space for people to come and explore new products.

"Granada" meaning "pomegranate," stood out to me for two reasons.

First, what is now Colombia was part of the Republic of New Granada fro 27 years. As a Colombian-American who wanted to work with Colombian artisans and share their goods more widely, I loved that "granada" linked me to my country's history.

Second, one of my most life-defining decisions was to study abroad in Turkey. I was able to travel extensively and learn about the region, as well as stroll through the bazaars and fall in love with the beautiful artisan goods made in Turkey, as well as those brought along the Silk Road. It sparked a dream to someday own a little shop to support talented artisans around the world and bring together the beautiful and unique items I found on my travels. Pomegranates are abundant in Turkey and are rich with symbolism across many cultures, signifying abundance and good fortune As such, they always remind me of this magical time in my life and the first seed of this venture.

Still, I wasn't sure about the name and my sister suggested asking for a sign. I was talking with a friend about name ideas and when I mentioned Casa Granada, she asked, "Oh, like the Granada Theater?" Although that wasn't the origin of the name, it sealed the deal; my husband and I got together after attending a concert at the Granada Theater in Dallas as friends. Sign received!

My incredibly talented cousin, Sara Ochoa, designed our beautiful logo.