The Lady or the Tiger?

Ever since I discovered Etsy, brick and mortar shopping has taken on a whole new dimension. Nowadays, when I see something I like, I think, "I'll bet I can find something like that on Etsy." Which, if true, would be great because 1) I'd be supporting a real, living and breathing artisan, and 2) I'm voting with my dollar, so to speak, and casting my lot for smaller, better, kinder.

Recently I went looking for potholders. Well, I didn't actually go looking for them. They found me. But no matter. So here is a little summary of what I found.

Behind door #1, we have some potholders for sale at Anthropologie (not singling them out; it's just where I happened to be shopping). Obviously they are mass produced, and are imported from China and/or India:






Now, behind door #2, we have a few potholders I found on Etsy (click on the pictures for links to the shops where they are for sale):







So, as you make your way through the retail world, which will you choose? The tiger, or the lady?

Happy shopping!

Robin