annie fosters sustainable relationships with ARTISAN enterprises + buyers interested in ethically sourced, handcrafted goods

Learn about Annie’s consulting services.

  • Annie provides one-on-one mentoring for artisans and artisan brands seeking business support.

    Topics include:

    • Brand Building: Getting Started

    • Developing a Marketing Strategy

    • Marketing Your Brand Story

    • Creating a Product Line or Collection

    • Building a Sales Strategy

    • Identifying Your Target Market

    • Defining Your Brand Positioning

    • Feedback on Marketing Materials

    Annie provides 75-minute individual consulting sessions for a flat fee of 500 euros each or a package of 5 sessions for a total of 2400 euros.

  • Annie collaborates with retailers, wholesalers, and designers to source exquisite handmade home decor and gift items. She travels the globe, continuously visiting new countries and exploring the diversity of craftsmanship in far-flung regions. Annie has developed a vast network of talented artisan producers and artisans worldwide, bringing the best handmade to her clientele. She helps her clients source strategically and with ease, saving time, travel, and expense. Annie specializes in handmade home decor, from lighting and ceramics to glassware, basketry, pottery, textiles, and more.

    Bring your project scope to Annie, and she will guide you through the process. She works on large and small sourcing projects tailored to her client's needs, whether helping small boutique shops refresh their vendor selection or assisting large retailers in curating unique limited-edition collections.

    Annie believes that the craft sector positively impacts the sustenance of craft culture, heritage, and know-how while generating income for communities and protecting the environment.

    Consulting rates start at 500 euros.

  • Annie develops coaching programs that collaborate with artisan enterprises in-country and online to boost export sales for artisan businesses. Her expertise focuses on sales, marketing, and product design.

    The coaching topics include:

    • Building and Marketing an Artisan Brand

    • Effective Social Media Strategies and Best Practices

    • Identifying Your Target Market

    • Preparing for Trade Shows

    • Reviewing Products and Pricing

    • Strategic Sales and Marketing Planning

    Please inquire to learn more about what AOW offers and how she links artisan enterprises with the US and European marketplace.

sourcing + consulting services

Annie O. Waterman has 17 years of experience working in the handmade artisan sector. She has spent half of her life in the US and the last seven years in France, giving her a unique global perspective on the US and European home decor and gift marketplace. She has traveled to over 40 countries and has established a vast network among buyers and artisan enterprises.

Annie works with retailers, government organizations, and artisan enterprises.

Annie mentors artisan brands and enterprises on brand building, sourcing, marketing, and developing sales strategies to ensure her clients strategically reach their target market and ultimately increase sales.

Annie works with retailers to source exquisite handmade home decor. She has developed a vast worldwide artisan network, offering the best handmade. She strives to find the best partner for the project that is custom to your company’s target buying price point, design aesthetic, and business size. Products Annie sources stand for quality, craftsmanship, provenance, and exquisite design.

Annie consults with government and cultural organizations to develop training programs specializing in US and European market/ product trends, sales, and marketing strategies for artisan enterprises. She also facilitates in-country buyer trips.

All consulting services aim to foster relationships between buyers and artisan enterprises, ultimately increasing sales and strengthening the artisan sector.

  • "Blending passion with deep understanding of how handicrafts markets operate, Annie is a great bridge between artisans and buyers. Her feel for what’s trendy comes naturally, with an ability to help producers select and curate the right collections. With her network of buyers and artisan support groups, she’s always got her fingers on the pulse on how this growing market is evolving. We valued her keen interest and commitment to sustainable and ethical sourcing, which has helped us shape one of the unique portfolios in our country office."

    Ismail Abu Arafeh, UNDP

  • "Hiring Annie was the best decision I’ve made to date on my new business journey. I would have easily spent the money I paid her in costly mistakes and wasted time. She kindly and competently set me on the right path in everything from social media and marketing to brand creation, selecting vendors, and curating the perfect products for my unique vision. Annie is worth her weight in gold. Hire her! You won’t regret it."

    Stephanie Brand, Overland Home

  • "Annie has been supporting my brand and store from the very beginning and through its different chapters. She mentored our dear founder years ago so we could make this passion project a reality, and she’s mentored me now as the new owner, steering me in the right direction not only with exquisite product and vendor recommendations but with a whole rebrand journey. Her feedback and guidance have been essential to catapult our social media, create a new website, and take our newsletter efforts to new heights, increasing our brand’s status and customer trust and loyalty. I’m forever grateful for Annie’s mentorship and friendship.”

    Julia Camara Calvo, Atacama Home

  • "I had been sitting on an idea of what I wanted to do with my business for years and discovering and working with Annie has helped bring it all to fruition. Finding someone with her combination of experience, relationships, and discerning eye was like finding the needle in a haystack. Working with Annie has not only given me the resources and contacts necessary to build my business, it has also given me the confidence to turn my ideas into something tangible. Her suggestions have been personalized and on point and I feel assured knowing I have the ability to tap into her expertise as my business continues to grow."

    Nicole Kofoed, And Found Furnishings

  • "Working with AOW to help me navigate sourcing products for my retail shop proved invaluable. Annie put together custom itineraries for my sourcing trip to Spain and Portugal based on my business needs, including artisans who are able to ship to the USA. Also helpful were hotel and restaurant recommendations. Annie has excellent taste and is extremely well-connected. So many gems I would never have found on my own! I would not hesitate to recommend AOW for any sourcing needs."

    Jennifer Liang, J Atelier

  • "Consulting one on one with Annie, we have gained a good overview of how to get started in the ethically sourced, sustainable, artisan made, retail world. Learned a process of how to start from scratch and hit the ground running in setting up a store. Connected with some high quality artisans, making beautiful sustainable products from around the world. As for significant improvements that we have gained working with Annie? ) Delight - when customers come to our store they often gasp and say they have never seen such unique and beautiful products. 2) Quality - we have bought high quality products at wholesale prices, that are beautiful, durable and will stand the test of time. 3) Innovation - traditional hand made techniques have been developed further, and innovative designs significantly improve the products."

    Roy Herring of Hope Store Guernsey

  • "From the first email exchange with Annie, I knew we would find just what we were looking for. We have placed orders with every vendor she found for us. And now because of Annie, we have sources for product categories we had never worked with before and in countries, we’ve never worked in before. By working with Annie we were able to make a deadline for PO placement and sample receipt date with very short notice. I emailed her with only 1 month to receive samples and the vendor she found delivered a beautiful product that was exactly what we were looking for! Annie introduced us to a vendor in Egypt that helped keep our assortment extra special and unique. Because of her vast array of contacts she really listened and understand who we are as a company. She asks the right questions in order to help find the vendor to fit our needs. We ventured into a new product category with Annie’s help and we’re already making plans to work with the vendor again. Because of Annie, we don’t need to limit ourselves."

    Chelsea McGowan, Sourcing & Production Manager of Aerin

  • "Thanks so much for the super valuable resources you’ve put together through your membership. Your network of artisan connections is truly impressive and the membership fee is worth every penny. I already have my eye on several new potential suppliers and product lines thanks to your posts – suppliers that I likely would never have found otherwise. Not only do your product spotlights include beautifully curated pieces, I love that these artisan groups already have your stamp of approval. This saves so much time and effort that goes into vetting export-readiness! I also LOVE that you are posting lists of sourcing fairs. I am always looking for new artisan expos but they’re often difficult to find just through an internet search. Your newsletter is an incredibly valuable resource for finding the hidden artisan gems that make our product line stand out from everyone else. Thanks for all that you do!"

    Maura Kroh Lall, Creative Women

  • "I can’t tell you how great it is when your running a shop like mine, sourcing from all over, trying to stay ethical but also contemporary and filling needs of customers in a small town, it’s easy to loose sight of where you started and what your doing. Reading AOW Handmade with your vast knowledge puts me back on track and gives me the inspiration and confidence to keep doing it. So a big Thank You!"

    Lorraine Hurlstone, Covet

  • "AOW’s newsletters are always a source of inspiration. Packed with unusual finds, creative voices and beautiful objects from across the globe. I trust Annie’s eye and know that if she has chosen to highlight an artisan that they will be a reliable partner. I love to source myself, but it isn’t always possible to make the journey, and even if I do - without references one could waste a huge amount of time and money, Annie has done the leg work. I love the culture and travel element of AOW newsletters, and the overview of foreign fairs is particularly useful. Annie shares valuable insights on people and stories I am sure will interest me, beautifully presented in a format which is a pleasure to read."

    Fiona Cameron, Storie

AOW has worked with top retailers + organizations, including:

West Elm, Arhaus, Anthropologie, The Citizenry, Aerin, MINNA NY, Global Crafts, All Across Africa, Atacama Home, Raven + Lily, Globein, JK Adams, Michele Varian, Lizzie Fortunato, Primary Essentials, St Frank Textiles, OZMA, Hawkins New York, Soludos, United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the UN Refugee Agency UNHCR, Aid to Artisans, New World Crafts Guatemala, & more.

“Annie is a bridge between artisans and buyers.” -Ismail Abu Arafeh, UNDP