The Anou Cooperative in Morocco is an award-winning collective that is an artisan-owned marketplace connecting artisans directly with customers. Discover the mission of the shop, how it supports artisan communities, and what unique items you can expect to find for your home.
It’s hard to explain the Moroccan medinas without seeing (and smelling) it for yourself. Imagine you’re in a country and culture that feels very foreign (queue the call to prayer over every speaker in the city), and you’re trying to find your way down a narrow dirt street with walls so high, you can only see what’s in front of you. Your Wi-Fi isn’t working for directions, there is dirt in your mouth, men gawking, shop owners calling, donkeys pooping and motorcycles nearly running you over by transporting things like a sheet of broken glass (this actually happened). It’s a real-life maze of culture (and something else?) Don’t let me scare you out of going yourself. It’s amazing and exciting but also kind of daunting. There’s no better way to get out of your comfort zone. But isn’t that the magic of growing and evolving?
I digress. We were looking for a shop called Anou Cooperative, an award-winning collective of over 600 artisans from cooperatives, associations, and workshops across Morocco. We went on a wild goose chase to find it since the shop had recently moved unbeknownst to Google, back in 2022. Once we finally knocked on the shop door, Rachida made us feel right at home. We must have been one of the first people to visit the new shop space because she was super excited to tell us their story and show us their entire space. But they should be proud of what they've built. I mean look at this beautiful display of dyed textiles.
Their mission is to provide a marketplace for artisans to reach customers and make sure they’re paid directly (cutting out the middleman of the Moroccan souk shops that typically only pay the artisans a small percentage of the retail price). They’re owned and managed by Morocco's artisan community and are open to all authentic artisans committed to quality and transparency. Amazing!
After we perused the small shop (and bought as many accessories as I could fit into my suitcase), she took us on a tour to see where they do in-house textile weaving and color dying. Eventually, we were led up a labyrinth of staircases to the rooftop where they were mixing natural powders to make the dyes and fabrics were laid out in a marvelous textile rainbow to dry in the sun.
It was inspiring to see firsthand how the product was made in a truly authentic way to create one-of-a-kind pieces - very different from my background of working with large textile mills of mass production. And all I could do was wonder how I could use my merchandising background to help bring their mission to a larger US market.
Then she snapped this photo of us, and we went to do some rug shopping!
I was on a real mission to find a rug for our new house. My husband and I had been traveling non-stop for three years and had left our few belongings behind in a tiny storage unit. When we finally "settled down" with a home of our own, I wanted to fill it with beautiful and meaningful pieces that would remind me of the amazing trips we took.
I had a vision for a bright rug to go under our dining table that would serve as our Moroccan souvenir. We asked our hotel’s advice on where to buy a rug because we unfortunately spent the entire day before being bamboozled by our tour guide, who only took us to shops that were scamming us. Luckily, we were smart enough to know something was up! I was ready to have a real Moroccan rug experience, and we sure got it!
After a sit-down talk over mint tea, the rugs started rolling out. I fell in love with a certain style called a Kilim rug, which is woven on a loom over 2-3 weeks and produces a much thinner and softer pile. These were dyed in super vibrant colors, loomed into a flatweave and then applied with a hand-stitched design. It's made with a wool and cashmere blend, so the material is easy to clean (great for under the table). The best part is that no one else would have one exactly like it. The owner works directly with the women artisans in a rural village near Fez to get the highest and most authentic quality.
I finally decided on this bright blue beauty and took a few other small ones home as gifts. This very blue rug was actually what convinced me there was a real market for people who wanted unique, artisan-made decor for their home, just like me. And so I officially added the first item to my Travel Trove.
