About Hemslöjden
The
label “Swedish Handicrafts” identifies that a shop belongs to
Hemslöjdsrörelsen, the official Society of Handicrafts in
Sweden. It also indicates that the handicrafts
and arts meet quality requirements of the society for materials, technology
and function.
The shop
"Hemslöjden" in
Umeå sells arts and handicrafts from the Västerbotten region,
including Sami handicrafts and arts as well as quality craft works
from other regions in Sweden.
The
"Hemslöjdsföreningen" in Västerbotten was formed in
1909 and opened its first shop in Umeå. Signe Örtenblad was
appointed as its first shop manager.
For
close to 50 years, the spacious shop was located at Skolgatan 51
selling a variety of items with a strong focus on handwowen textiles and weaving yarn.
During this early period, several textile designers were linked to the
operation and Hemslöjden even employed its own weavers.The products sold were varied and included carpets, curtains, tablecloths,
runners and church textiles. Today, the emphasis is handicrafts, primarily
woodwork.
At
its peak, there were five Hemslöjden shops in the northern Sweden located in Umeå,
Skellefteå,
Lycksele and Vilhelmina. In the 1970´s and early 1980´s, the business
flourished and a stockroom was built in Umeå to accomodate
customer demand. Products were bought from the different craftsmen
in the region and re-distributed to the various Hemslöjden shops
connected by the county bus transport system.
In
1985, "Hemslöjdsföreningen" was divided into two
associations: a non-profit and an
economic. Tough economic times and lower interest in the
handicrafts resulted in store closings.The shop in Umeå changed
its location and a new owner constellation is running the business.
The ownership structure was now “Hemslöjdsföreningen” with 51% of shares and
the private managing owners (Britt-Marie Domeij
and Yvonne Hedman) with 49% of the shares.. |
