Sankara Imports

Spending years living in India, Francesca travelled across the country. Throughout the travels she fell in love with not only the country and its culture but also the people and artwork she saw.

On return to Bothell, Francesca was determined to find a way to continue learning about the countries treasures and explore more of what India had to offer. With Katrina’s help, the pair were able to open their first imports shop in Bothell USA in 2012, featuring all the items and creative products they had discovered so far. Sankara Imports was born. Gradually more items were added to the shop from adventures in Turkey and Nepal.

Not satisfied with the conventional retail approach, Sankara Imports was founded with the purpose of advancing social welfare through handicrafts. Every treasure, artwork, and handicraft in the stores are ethically produced and personally handpicked by Francesca or Katrina. They journey extensively across India, Nepal, and Turkey to directly collaborate with the artists responsible for crafting the items found in our shops.

By engaging in direct collaboration with the artists, Sankara not only brings you the best selection available, but also ensures secure working conditions, fair payment, and the ability to offer you extraordinary treasures at good prices. Click on the link below to learn more about the artists whose works we showcase.

As part of our commitment to maintaining ethical relationships with the artists, Sankara Imports takes great pride in offering support to several charities in India and Nepal, focusing on children, women, and education. We are also proud supporters of Desi Dog Rescue, the organisation responsible for bringing Kavi and Leela to our Bothell Shop. With every purchase, five percent is donated to the charity of the month, and if any of those charities are involved in the creation of the artwork, an additional five percent is donated back to that specific charity.