Stoneage Arts was founded in 1987 by brothers Raj and Babu. A Customer was relentless in perusing us, “where are you guys, I need more of the product”. We thought “Oh! Really”. Finally we decided to take the customer request seriously. You see, several years earlier, with a very talented cousin Tinu, we had imported African products, and for many months of trying to sell other retail outlets with limited success, this Customer on the first call agreed to see us and bought our entire stock – what an experience! – that story for another day!

Raj and Bhanu were born and raised in Kenya and living in London at the time, decided to move to the US to grow the business. Babu looked after the day to day African operations.

Phagoon, who graduated from the University of Florida, decided to join the company full time in 1996. Raj’s brother Ash Joined the company in 1993.

Our passion for handcrafted art grew as we travelled from one African country to another and started to work directly with the artisans. Our current business model started to take root as we saw how talented the artists were in creating the amazing work, in most cases just using their hands and basic hand tools.

We always treated the artisans and their families fairly and even today those artisans, their families and community work with us in developing and designing new products. Bhanu spearheads a lot of these developments and spends countless hours each year working with the Artisans. Input from our Customers also has been invaluable.

The company has continued to expand, and its global network of artisans now stretches across Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America.

Most items are produced from organic, sustainable, recycled or natural materials that are harvested legally and in an ecologically friendly way. For several years now, we have embraced the re-purpose of materials like bottle caps, wire, Aluminum cans, glass and rubber.

1 can make a difference

All items are produced with a consciousness towards the environment and the preservation and revival of the local handicraft traditions around the Globe. We together help to create income and a better life style for the Artisans, their families and their community. Thank you for keeping the Artisan Sprit alive.