and brick-and-mortar retailer of artisan crafts. BRIKA was co-founded by Koss and Kena Paranjape who saw a need to focus on talented artisans and designers who according to Koss, “Are being lost in the noise and desire a true platform to bring their well-crafted goods to a wider audience.” The duo recognized that there is a core customer who is inherently creative and craves unique special goods. Their business model began as an online site and has evolved to physical retail. The co-founders hand-select artisans and makers from all over North America for their uniqueness and commitment to quality, ethical business and building a purposeful contribution within their community. These artisans benefit from having an easy platform in which to


sell their goods online. Their model requires no inventory as each of the makers ship directly from their studios. BRIKA launched at the end of 2012 with five artisans and today they have over 400 within their curated community. More recently, Koss and Paranjape have opened permanent stores and pop-up shops in the Toronto area. The BRIKA online business has benefited by having physical stores. “We most certainly see a correlation between our stores and an increase in online sales in the same geography,” Koss said. BRIKA has also sold merchandise through Hudson Bay and Holt Renfrew department stores. Koss wants to see this distribution platform grow. She explained that the combination of an online presence and physical stores enables them to reach


SpecialtyRetail.com Winter 2017 n Specialty Retail Report 67


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