Having grown up in Kenya, Vancouver’s Jackee Kasandy has been making regular trips back to Africa over the years to see her family.

She started to notice a pattern: Every time she returned to B.C. following a visit, friends and colleagues here would ask her about that colourful, new beaded bag she had or where she got her jewellery or even if they could have the African scarf or other clothes she was wearing.

It was clear that there was a hunger in Vancouver for the kind of artisan goods Kasandy collected, and so she decided to pursue it as a business.

With her online store Kasandy and her bricks-and-mortar shop, Kasandy Locally Global (Bentall Centre Mall, 305-595 Burrard Street), Kasandy is bringing the colours, patterns, textures, styles, designs, and vibrancy of Kenya to the West Coast.

The entrepreneur’s goal is to support Kenyan and other African artisans by purchasing directly from them, at a price they set, and selling their products consistently so that they receive a regular source of income. Sometimes she’ll even collaborate with makers to create new products in response to customer requests—stylish leather bags that are big enough to hold a laptop, for instance.

She also insists that all LG products are made only with recycled, upcycled, or ethically sourced materials. With a background in wildlife conversation as well as marketing, Kasandy inspects working conditions too, ensuring that makers are adhering to fair-trade standards.

At her shop, 31 cultural groups from more than a dozen countries are represented, including nations beyond those in Africa; she also imports fair-trade crafts and products from Asia, South America, the Middle East, and beyond. Look for one-of-a-kind woven baskets, hampers, beaded bags, alpaca blankets, leather goods, furniture, fashion accessories, throw pillows, apparel, men’s items (such as wallets, briefcases, grooming products). and more.

We love the Kasandy Weekender Travel bag in rose wood canvas with tan leather trim and lined with a Maasai blanket ($157); the Kanga African print cotton scarf in deep orange ($32.50); and made-in-Kenya hand-engraved metal-cuff bracelets ($28.49)

Now that fall is officially here and the countdown to Christmas holidays is going to start any day now, Kasandy is hitting the local-markets circuit.

Find the shop's pop-ups at the West Vancouver Community Centre’s Saturday Mini Market, Christmas at Hycroft, Burnaby’s Knights of Christmas Market, Yaletown’s Candy Town, the Women’s Winter Faire at Heritage Hall on Main Street, and more.

Market dates and more information are at kasandy.com/.