Lakota Arts and Crafts Enterprise LLC

Founder's Story

I founded Lakota Arts and Crafts Enterprise LLC in 2024 after seeing talented Oglala Lakota artists create exceptional work but struggle to reach larger wholesale markets.

I built a business that connects these artists with national park gift shops, museum stores, cultural retailers, and specialty stores. I manage catalogs, buyer outreach, orders, packaging, shipping, invoicing, and retailer relationships so the artists can focus on creating.

Since launching, the business has received more than $45,000 in purchase orders and paid more than $36,000 directly to artists. Several artists have received repeat orders, and approximately 80% of product revenue goes to the artists. My long-term goal is to expand these opportunities and help create a business that can eventually be carried forward by the artists and their families.

Business Description

Lakota Arts and Crafts Enterprise LLC is a Colorado-based wholesale business that connects Oglala Lakota artists from the Pine Ridge Reservation with museum stores, national park gift shops, cultural retailers, galleries, and specialty stores. We represent authentic Native-made artwork and help retailers source distinctive products while supporting the artists who create them.

Our product selection includes hand-carved Spirit Horses, Dream Horses, and Star Horses; wall plaques featuring animals and traditional imagery; beadwork; quillwork; dentalium earrings; sage pouches; jewelry; and other handcrafted items. Each product is created by an individual Lakota artist and is accompanied by information about the artist and the work whenever possible.

We provide the business infrastructure needed to bring these products into wholesale markets, including catalogs and line sheets, buyer outreach, pricing, order coordination, packaging, shipping, invoicing, and retailer support. Artists are paid when their work is completed rather than waiting for retailers to pay their invoices, and approximately 80% of product revenue goes directly to the artists.

Our mission is to create reliable, respectful, and sustainable market opportunities for Oglala Lakota artists while giving retailers access to authentic artwork with a clear connection to the people and communities who made it.