Summer 2021 Awards

Traditions matter. They allow us to experience the richness of lives around us, to connect with the past, and to provide guidance for the future. That is why we named our company “Amara”; Eternal.  

Amara is a New Jersey based company, that partners with the artisans of West Bengal, India to bring its Rattan Collections to the International markets. Our artisans use traditional weaving techniques for rattan weaving, that have been passed on for generations. Amara’s approach is to invest in our artisans by using ethical trade practices, run community-based educational programs to preserve their craft, and ultimately provide long term sustainable income for the community.   

Our humble beginnings began with the manufacturing of our Bklyn Bento stainless steel lunch box.

As with many things in life, one thing led to the next and before we knew it we’re manufacturing a small handful of sustainable eco-friendly products.  

We first learned about stainless steel bento boxes while racing a Rickshaw across India to raise money for the Cool Earth foundation.  

During this 3 week adventure we raced across 2,500km in the Brooklyn Dodger Rickshaw.  

We zig-zagged our way through remote villages on roads that were either unpaved or riddled with potholes.  

For a couple of Brooklyn guys, this was not an issue.  We’ve been training on theBelt Parkway and Atlantic Ave for years.  

Midway through our adventure we passed through a rural town on the edge of the Rajasthan Desert, and this is where we met Neeraj.  

Neeraj is a local guy who graced us with his presence while we fixed our Rickshaw on the side of “his” road. Super nice guy, and funny! After much debate and lots of laughs he insisted on trading his bento box for my shirt (yes, he took the shirt off my back).  

It was a fair trade. It was a nice shirt.  

Fast forward and I’m back in Brooklyn eating out of a metal box…and loving it. It did not take long before we realized everyone loved this bento box and everyone wanted one; from our co-workers to our childhood friends to strangers in Prospect Park. (Even my ex-boss who had horrible taste liked this thing.)  

That’s when we decided to begin manufacturing an authentic stainless steel bento box from India and bring it home to Brooklyn, N.Y. for all to enjoy.

Welcome to Bklyn Bento!

We truly love these products and hope you do too!

Carol’s Cards is a special new collection of handmade, all-occasion greeting cards, each designed and sewn using yarns and upcycled natural fiber fabrics and buttons, some from old garments. Her 20 card designs range from classic to contemporary. There is nothing else like them in the marketplace. 

Fiber artist Carol Lindell Jones has her degree in costume design and has always loved textiles. She began in the Fall of 2020 creating holiday cards inspired by leftover fabrics from the more than 400 COVID-19 face masks she made for family and friends. She launched her card business in April of 2021.

 Every 5″ x 7″ card design is a unique combination of colors and textures and is personally signed by Carol. Each card is a beautiful work of art suitable for framing.  

 Putting to use her interests and expertise, Carol is a Trustee and volunteers as a curatorial assistant at the Litchfield Historical Society specializing in textiles and clothing. Carol also gives back to her community by donating a portion of her business proceeds to support food shelves in Litchfield County CT, where she lives and creates her cards in her eighteenth-century country farmhouse.

From Elina: My jewelry work has a sculptural approach, inspired by traditional adornment and travels but also, it is the result of my love for history, craft, and world cultures. I am fascinated with the process of transforming metals, bronze in particular – a metal that is deeply connected with human history. All pieces, totally hand cast and fabricated in my studio in the Bay Area, California, fuse ancient techniques with an industrial and urban vibe. 

Kitty Kardboard is bridging the gap between home decor and cat products, starting with the most essential item in a cat owner’s home: the cardboard box.
My inspiration behind Kitty Kardboard was my own cat named Kitty, who loved cardboard boxes. In fact, all cats love boxes, but this adorable obsession comes with a drawback for cat owners: there are several empty Amazon boxes scattered around your home at ALL times.
After learning that cardboard boxes improve cats’ overall health and well-being, I realized that getting rid of the box wasn’t the solution to the problem; The solution was to reinvent the box. So, I set out to design a product that offers cats all the same benefits of a typical cardboard box, while offering their humans a beautiful piece of decor for their home.
Kitty Kardboard cat pyramids are consciously made in the USA out of recycled cardboard. The patterns on the boxes are printed with water-based, biodegradable ink, and were designed and illustrated by myself to compliment a wide variety of interior design tastes. The structural shape was also thoughtfully designed by myself to be easily assembled without tools or adhesives, and to flat pack to the smallest possible size in an effort to minimize carbon “paw”print.

Rust Belt Love is a stationery and gift company who focuses on connecting people with beautiful messages on floral letterpress greeting cards. Owners Alyson and Nick believe that what people need now more than ever is real human connection. After 10 years of designing custom wedding stationery, Rust Belt Love launched their wholesale line of sentimental letterpress stationery for paper lovers who want to send heartfelt messages with a thoughtful, handmade look and feel. Alyson is a classically trained illustrator who does all of the drawing and designing, and Nick does all of the printing, often on their 100 year old letterpresses.  Rust Belt Love was nominated for a 2021 Louie Award in the Rising Start category, and will be featuring their full line for the first time in-person at the August NY NOW show.