First, pretend that you’re an artisan.

One who makes products by hand, of the highest possible quality, and out of the finest materials.

Would you want to market them on the web or in a store alongside items of a lesser nature, or worse, lose them in a sea of American mediocrity?

No. You would not.

Instead you’d want to be a partner in All Things Artisanal, alongside 100 other makers of fine things. You’d want to elevate, not denigrate, your stature in this world. And you’d be willing to pay a fee – from $175 to $1,500 annually – for exposure online, in social media and in a sweet little magazine called Handful of Salt.

“Each artisan or brand controls their content on our site,” says co-founder Regina Connell. “Each tells their story in a different way, and in a way that complements their other sites.”

There is no charge to shoppers, who are free to review the artisans’ work, then visit their sites and make their purchases.

“From a maker’s perspective, we don’t sell anything on the site,” says co-founder and designer Forest Dickey. “I want to sell directly to my clients, to build relationships with them. We’re connecting you to artisans but not selling their work.”

Among the products featured on the site are furniture, jewelry, food, clothing, home accessories, interiors, lighting, and custom fabrication. There’s a small children’s section and another for beauty products.

“We’re trying to be a little broader, and include food and clothing as part of the mix,” Connell says.

They are, it seems, turning H.L. Mencken’s maxim that “No one ever went broke underestimating the American public” on its head.

And just in time for Christmas, 2013.

For more information, go to http://allthingsartisanal.com/.

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