CLEVELAND — A new online store based in northeast Ohio brings the handmade goods that might be found at a farmer’s markets right to the consumer's door. 

Heather Soussou-Brady has business in her blood. 

“I always said I wanted to own my own shop,” she said. “Whether I owned a boutique or whatever, and this is kind of like a little gift boutique.”

While she was growing up, her father owned a chain of dollar stores in northeast Ohio.  Now, the mom-to-be is following in the family footsteps by launching Mapachas.com. 

“We’re a small business supporting other small businesses,” she said. 

Mapachas means “twins” in Swahili, in honor of the two little girls she’s expecting in July. 

Soussou-Brady said she started the online store to fill a void in cyberspace. 

“Yes, there are craft shows and markets and things like that physically, but as far as an online presence, there’s not much,” she said. 

Now, Mapachas is available to give artists an outlet to sell their products as a sort of online farmer’s market. The site focuses on conscious consumerism with a goal of affordability. 

“I think a lot of people think that shopping small and shopping local means breaking your bank, which that doesn’t have to happen,” she said. 

The business also has an eco-friendly focus. 

“All of our packaging is biodegradable, recyclable, compostable,” Soussous-Brady said. “Even down to the tape that we use, we use paper tape in our packaging.”

The store’s “thank you” notes may even be planted to become wildflowers, helping to make the world a little greener by helping artisans achieve their dreams. 

“There’s a life behind that product and there’s a story behind that product,” she said. “And you know these makers and artists have families and they put their all into these products.”