Facon in Buenos Aires celebrates Argentina’s remote artisans with handcrafted, story-filled pieces. Discover the mission of the shop, how it supports artisan communities, and what unique items you can expect to find for your home.
If you go to Buenos Aires, you simply must visit Facon. As often happens with my list of concept shops while traveling, I went on a wild adventure to find this hidden shop while we lived in BA in the fall of 2022. They originally had a store in Palermo (the trendy neighborhood) but had to change locations after the struggles of 2020. I had heard so many good things that I took a morning off work to walk the 30 minutes through a not-so-great part of town to get there.
When I finally arrived, Lupe was there to greet me and was kind enough to indulge me in practicing my Spanish. She told me about their mission to bring remote artisans' hidden creativity and talent to light and give them a platform to tell the story of their craft.
The store is owned by designer and curator Martín Bustamante, who travels to the most remote and inaccessible parts of Argentina to find these artisans (and who, by the way, looks like an Argentinian George Clooney). This quote from him says it all:
“I bought this in Argentina and it was made by these people.” Now that thing in your house isn’t just a product — it has an emotional value. It tells a story.
By working with these artisans, he is creating jobs, supporting their community and empowering them to continue the craft that has been passed down through generations. With big brands copying the real artisans to mass produce, the communities are affected, and the craft is dying and may soon be forgotten. I, for one, don’t want to forget authentic art and the creation of handicrafts. I want to celebrate it and the people that make it special.
In the shop, it was clear that each piece was truly handmade and could speak for itself. From the perspective of someone who adores visual merchandising, it was a dream. Everything was so beautifully curated like a museum exhibition that I couldn’t decide what to choose to fit in my precious suitcase real estate. I finally decided on four of these animal masks that would eventually hang on my gallery wall.
They are hand-carved out of lightweight wood and painted with natural pigments like charcoal and clay by artisans in the aboriginal Chané community in Salta. They were originally made to pay homage to the many animals that died when roads were built to inhabit the region.
Also they were just really cool and have sparked a conversation with every new person that comes to my house. They’re cool as a standalone piece (like this spotted hog over a fireplace) or play well with others (like in a set or with coordinating art). However you style them in your home, I hope their story enriches your space and inspires stories of your own.
