Amazon Handmade Celebrates Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month With Storefront

May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and to celebrate, Amazon Handmade has launched a storefront that spotlights Asian and Pacific Islander artisans. The shop, an artisan-only community within Amazon that offers handmade products, has a curated collection of one-of-a-kind products from four female Asian and Pacific Islander makers: Marcia of Kahili Creations, Julie of Trail575, Jasmine of Essance Skincare, and Krit of Soothi Containers of Creativity. Consumers can shop candles, jewelry, skin care products, and stationery and learn about the makers’ stories.

Some of the covetable home goods include Trail575’s collection of artisanal candles, which merges the maker’s two loves: nature and haiku. The Big Sur Scented Candle, $35, inspired by the rugged stretch of California’s central coast, captures the great outdoors through scent and haiku. (The haiku on Big Sur’s packaging reads, “Ocean air whips past, touched with fir and cedar wood, as waves break on cliffs.”)

And, for journalers out there, the Soothi Containers of Creativity shop carries a variety of leather-bound handmade journals for $39.50 each. The Brown Another Adventure Journal would make an ideal gift for travelers and writers.

This year’s Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month comes at a fraught time for the community. Anti-Asian hate crimes continue amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, fueled by racist “China virus” rhetoric that goes back to the country’s history of colonialism and violence. Ming Huang, president of Seattle’s Asians at Amazon chapter, reflected on the violence in an Amazon blog post about the new AAPI Heritage Month initiatives.

“In light of the heightened violence against the Asian American community, one thing is clear to me — we are the strongest when we unite as one voice,” Huang wrote. “Amplification is key. I am proud of the Asian American community for their governance and coming together to inspire change by leveraging their own platforms. It has a ripple effect, and I have been seeing immense outreach and socialization across the industries in entertainment, tech, nonprofit, and more.” Huang continued, “Mostly, I am elated to see allies standing up to show their support. We are all in this together.”

Shop the Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month storefront on Amazon Handmade.