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| Mission Statement |
| As an independent designer, I found out first hand how difficult it is to get started making a living doing what I do, finding shops to carry my designs, getting press, etc. I also found out that it's even more difficult for shoppers to find what they need when they're looking for locally made, responsibly produced goods. To try and fulfill these needs of the indie design community and their patrons, I created afterglow's Guide to Independent California Shopping, an online directory that lists hundreds of independent designers in California, shops where their designs are sold as well as events, blogs, designer resources, and more, to promote independent design and help shoppers, designers, shop owners, and promoters to find each other. My goal is to make a significant contribution in promoting independent design and making it more accessible to everyone. This Guide continues to grow every day as I find new designers, blogs, events, resources, and shops. And as resources grow, I plan to move this Guide to its own website, hire a professional website designer, and put money into advertising. In the meantime, I provide all the information included in this Guide in as thorough, user-friendly, and attractive a way as I know how. This is a nonprofit project: it's 100% volunteer run & compiled and all listings are included free of charge. Hope you find this Guide helpful, and remember to Shop Independent! love, Amy Cools designer of AC Clothing and Bags at afterglow design studio P.S. I love indie design everywhere, and would promote all of it if I could. But since there's only one of me, with finite time and resources, I encourage you to copy this idea! Create a Guide for your state, your area, your country, the world if you can! I just hope that, since you got this idea from me for free, you'll share it with others for free too. Yours, AC |