Innovation

Carrie is strongly committed to her mission to bring handcrafted, unique goods to her consumers while upholding her responsibility to society and the planet. Coming from a family of business owners and being taught strong values from an early age, Carrie used these factors as motivation for starting her own business. In addition to her family, once she discovered the lack of craftsmanship in the US toy market, she found her inspiration to open pucciManuli. Her goal is to celebrate the art of craftsmanship and the story that comes along with the products these artists make.

Since the beginning of her business, she has been proud to sell goods from individual artists that contain zero plastic. While the direction of her business model has slightly shifted since her start in 2006, this commitment has remained and it’s something she is extremely proud of. Carrie feels very strongly about not succumbing to the “mass market” model of business. This describes any company that seeks to maximize profits by producing and selling cheap goods rapidly. These companies cut corners and have no focus on product quality, which Carrie is all about. She fulfills this mission by sustainably sourcing products from individual artists and selling quality items that can last generations.

Highlighting the talents of a neglected art while simultaneously causing minimal harm to the world, pucciManuli was created with goodness and intention in mind. The driving “why” for pucciManuli is rooted in sharing the stories and craftsmanship of artists who are still creating handmade and sustainable toys in a world of mass production and consumption. Carrie states, “I try to have a mix of local, national, global brands and I try to find small brands that I know for a fact are doing things the way you're supposed to be.” Being involved with a range of sellers from local artists and small business owners to national suppliers, Carrie saw the opportunity to “celebrate these artisans” through supporting their talents in a space that aligned with her passion of promoting sustainability and zero plastic (SDG 12). Creating pucciManuli seemed like the perfect way to develop on this desire, developing her business as a place of intentionality and purpose. Other companies can benefit from her powerful innovation, which is just to do the hard work of getting back to the basics.

Inspiration

Knowing she could not be alone in her love of the extraordinary handmade toys, games, and gifts of artists all over the world, pucciManuli is Carrie’s way of supporting both creativity and zero plastic. Carrie’s guiding compass in having a business of care can be seen in SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production, as she makes an active effort to invest in artists who align with her mission of making the world a better place through thoughtful consumption. She says, “whether it is a $10 wind-spinning top from Austria or the $1000 marionette from Germany, I want to have something for everyone who appreciates what this is.” Giving customers the opportunity to buy from artists who tend to be overshadowed by cheap plastic products differentiates pucciManuli from the competition through building awareness of the issues of plastic production in the retail/toy industry and providing the solution. She is speaking to SGD 4: Quality Education in the way that her mission eliminates the dangers of mass production and consumption of plastic in the world through only buying sustainably produced and sourced products. SDG 4 is not just applied internally, but Carrie has activities that she extends into the community that promote quality education. As an active member of her community, people know Carrie is open and willingly to support causes aligned with her mission. She spoke of her program of donations that follow the act of giving and getting. She asks that when she donates, the organization she supports in return donates lightly used books to her, and she then is able to disperse them to local schools in need. In this simple act, Carrie is paying it forward which then drives a cycle of attention and giving in providing tools to enhance children's education. This book program in no way directly helps pucciManuli financially, yet it enhances the richness of her business as she is living out the mission to her community. Another way Carrie supports SDG 4 is through her monthly newsletter where she highlights the goodness in the world. Set up as a free subscription service, you are able to sign up to receive digital copies that are delivered directly to your email. In this way, Carrie is able to expand her reach of positivity and education beyond her community and into other regions that her storefront cannot impact.

Overall impact

Carrie, through pucciManuli, has undoubtedly impacted the local and global community, while making a conscious effort to fight the climate crisis. But she still doubts this despite all her work, “I don’t know if I’ve had an impact or not. I would like to think maybe I have, but I have no idea. I just know that the alternative is not worth it and it is not for me. At the end of the day I want to feel good about what I am doing in business.” So we dove deeper into pucciManuli’s actions to uncover the positive impacts that her passionate innovation has had.

Carrie takes the time to develop connections with her carefully chosen and authentic suppliers by meeting with them throughout the years in person even if it requires a trip across the ocean. These often underrepresented artists are getting recognition and fair payment for their work which is displayed in customers’ homes. Carrie will continue to purchase from them, which will allow their stories to be spread and work to be seen, while she gets to watch them thrive by offering reliable business and support. Customers approach her shop and shower her with positive feedback on her mission and quality products, showing that her mission has resonated with someone. She shared the story of one man that collected spinning tops who frequented her shop and created a bond with her over unique artisan products.

It is important to the mission of pucciManuli that products are of high quality yet affordable for all kinds of people. Carrie said herself that she wants there to be something for everyone and has turned that hope into a reality by filling her shop with quality products ranging from $10 to $1,000 as mentioned earlier. A part of what makes these pieces high quality, apart from the tedious handiwork that goes into creating them, is the sustainable products and methods that are used to bring them to life. Carrie asked herself the question of, “how do I filter out fossil fuel dependent products,” and went on her way to find the answer. In doing so, she has left a long term impact on the planet by not contributing to unsustainable practices by purchasing eco-friendly, plastic free products from small ethical brands, with less waste being sent to landfills. Even if she is the only shop in Ardmore, PA, making these earth friendly choices, she is making an impact by playing her part and by encouraging consumers to buy the sustainable products. She vowed to sell longer lasting products that cut carbon footprints in half because she wants customers to have products that will last generations while sustaining the earth for those future generations to enjoy them.

pucciManuli goes the extra mile to enact change. Not only does Carrie keep herself knowledgeable on what products are ethical to sell compared to others, but she educates herself on what is happening in the world and community around her. She took the time to skim through the Carbon Almanac, a daunting feat given the density and intensity of its contents, but she learned something along the way. According to the CA, Carrie shared with us that a gas powered leaf blower emits as much carbon dioxide in one hour as driving a regular automobile cross country to LA. With this new information in mind, she reflected on the use of leaf blowers in a local town square, noting that there are at least three or four going for approximately two hours every morning. This information then showed up in pucciManuli’s weekly newsletter informing the community of this environmental degradation, inspiring people to take a stance.

One other notable instance of her impact is when she stood up against a local policy. Carrie used to buy products from a Danish supplier that uses recycled stuffing to fill newly manufactured stuffed animals and toys. The company stopped selling to pucciManuli because Pennsylvania law prohibited the use of recycled stuffing. This restriction is having a global effect beyond just small businesses, and is holding up Disney’s sustainability initiatives. Disney wants to become more sustainable and has plans to change their production process but will not do so until they can sell to every single state; Pennsylvania being the state to hold them back. As a result, Carrie took it upon herself to call local state representatives and fight back against the law prohibiting recycled stuffing. In line with her innovation and mission, pucciManuli supports sustainable practices and has made an impact by taking action.

Business benefit

Carrie’s passion for her work with pucciManuli was so evident throughout our time learning about her business, what is important to her, and what she stands for. One of these things is her amazing products made by unique craftspeople, handpicked from all over the world, and brought to Ardmore, Pennsylvania, to be proudly put on display in her store. These top-of-the-line products make Carrie stand out in today’s “mass-market society” where toys are mass produced and primarily made of plastic. Because of Carrie’s time spent at artisan craft fairs, this dying craft is able to be supported through pucciManuli. “If I'm selling something made by an artisan, I've met the artist…I want to pass their story on.” Customers who walk into the store are welcomed with a beautiful and welcoming ambiance, surrounded by gorgeous pieces with a story behind each and every one, creating a truly unique position for the business, and experience for the customers.

Social and environmental benefit

Carrie’s mission to bring beautiful, handmade, and primarily plastic free toys and products to her store not only make pucciManuli stand out, but also benefits the environment. Carrie shared that the discovery of the Carbon Almnanac opened her mind to how severe the climate crisis is, and the limited time we have until irreversible damage is made. She said, “We are in crisis mode and our plant is literally gasping for air.” This information caused Carrie to be a leader in her community with her sustainable business practices, specifically with the materials that she uses. Besides the products being primarily plastic free, Carrie also recycles price tags, as well as all of the cardboard and packaging that is used to deliver the products. This cardboard is repurposed in order to fill online orders. This is not only cost efficient for the small business, but environmentally friendly. Furthermore, Carrie is involved in being an environmental activist through local politics in pucciManuli’s community of Ardmore, PA, standing up for real change within the community in which the business resides.

In the early days of pucciManuli being a storefront, and receiving several packages from various suppliers, Carrie was extremely taken aback and concerned with the amount of plastic waste was used to send these items. Reminiscing about this delivery, and remembering being surrounded by plastic, Carrie shared with us, “This was one order, for one business, in one town, on one day. Imagine how much plastic is being delivered to just one town on any given day, let alone the state, or nation?!” Carrie shared an image on pucciMunuli’s Instagram (@puccimanuli) with one of her employees drowning in this sea of plastic she was describing. In order to combat this Carrie works closely with her suppliers (a benefit to being a small business with individual artists) to reduce their plastic as much as possible while still allowing the products to be delivered safely. While this image may be discouraging, it is Carrie’s hope to be a leader in her community, and overall have a positive impact on the environment with her plastic free efforts and environmental advocacy. Overall, these sustainable practices including using circular economy principles, benefit SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production.

Interview

Carrie Kohs, Founder/Owner