When Chris Gay was visiting artisans in Northern Ghana several years ago, he was given a special name in the Frafra dialect: Ayindisa (eye-in-DEE-suh) meaning “God’s hand is in the work that you do.” Now Mr. Gay has opened a boutique by the same name, selling socially responsible handcrafts in Ridgefield. The Ayindisa boutique is a beautiful, warm, relaxing showroom featuring exotic gifts from artisans around the globe, including original art, unique jewelry and clothing, natural beauty products and more. Mr. Gay works directly with artisans and co-op groups he helped create in Ghana, West Africa, but products from other fair-trade organizations working with artisans all around the globe are also available. Beyond that, Ayindisa has partnered with various African and US non-profit humanitarian and micro-credit organizations working to combat poverty and create jobs in the developing world. “I want people in the area to know that our store exists and that customers have a unique choice out there when it comes to shopping and buying gifts. Ayindisa is more than just an ordinary retail store, we are a socially responsible and environmentally friendly business with a mission to work as a catalyst for change in the lives of artisans in developing nations around the globe,” says Chris.

Ayindisa is located at 18 Prospect Street in Ridgefield. Open Tuesday to Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Call 203.894.1115 for more information or visit Ayindisa.com and AyindisaLLC.blogspot.com.