PHNOM PENH: Formerly known as Make It - Arts & Crafts Store, the new 'Khraft - Cambodia’s Arts & Crafts Store' is located at #60 St. 440 in Toul Tom Pung, Phnom Penh.
The store recently had its grand opening on Saturday, 15 October 2022. Owners Helen and Jake McVety, said they opened this retail store about three and a half years ago because they saw there was a lack of diverse arts and crafts supplies in Cambodia, which they have called their home for over twenty years now. They believe that creativity is a vital part of growth in society, and so they hope to create a community of like-minded people who can flourish together creatively.
As their family has grown, so has the store. Khraft has now moved into a big warehouse to create a market space where two other community-minded businesses, 'Refill Store PP' by Dai Khmer and 'Clothesline Resale Boutique,' are also located on the second floor, while the ground floor includes store shelves by other Cambodia-based makers such as 'Daughters of Cambodia,' 'Miss SEW Cambodia,' 'Magik Glow,' 'Mrs. Sophea,' and 'Champa Champa.'
Refill Store PP by Dai Khmer is a socially focused business and was founded in 2014. Dai Khmer’s vision is to empower women entrepreneurs to be financially independent. The business works with rural women to harvest local products and create high-quality artisanal handicrafts. Moreover, as a refill store for a range of products (such as shampoo, coffee and more), it is also focused on keeping Cambodia clean and contributing to the fight against the climate crisis by advocating for minimized single-plastic use.
Clothesline Resale Boutique is also a socially focused business created over six years ago. The store accepts donations of clothes, accessories and more for resale, with a portion of every purchase donated to various organizations such as LICADHO, Friends International, Damnok Toek, Rainwater Cambodia, Girl Guides of Cambodia, and more. Clothesline also donates items to animal shelters. Their focus is on streamlining the donation process and helping to move pre-loved items to people who will appreciate them, while at the same time helping to lessen environmental pollution from fast fashion.
As for Khraft itself, in addition to being the largest arts and crafts supply store in Phnom Penh, it also offers a variety of workshops for children and adults to take part in. The store hosts messy process art sessions for toddlers, has open studio craft hours, calligraphy workshops, and more. This community market will also continue to host various pop-ups and workshops in the future. Khraft hopes to continue growing so that it can make arts and crafts more accessible to everyone in Cambodia.
For more information about Khraft, check out the store's Facebook page at: facebook.com/khraftstore
