Some of you may already know us as the Polish catalog company. We are Polart Distribution and we import products from Poland and make them available to you. Anybody in the U.S. can request a free catalog.
We've been in business since 1992. We are located in sunny Sarasota, Florida. Although we do not have a store, many of our products are featured in stores across the country. Our wholesale program makes almost every item available with generous discounts. But enough about us, let's talk about a product!
1 comment:
I love Polart and have been buying from you for the past 10-15 years.
While you sell Russian items, I continue to be disappointed that you do not sell items from the Lemko Region of southeastern Poland, which is an important part of Poland with a rich and unique history and culture of its own. My first purchase from Poland, in fact, was a Lemko music tape.
Even though Lemkos are an ethnic minority in Poland, they are still Polish by nationality and deserve to be represented at Polart.
Most Lemkos were resettled from their Carpathian homeland to the newly reclaimed former German lands in western and northern Poland in 1947. Their main cultural center in western Poland is Legnica. In southewestern Poland, the main cultural centers are Krynica, Gorlice, Zyndranowa, and Sanok.
Since the 1950s, many Lamkos have returned to their original homeland in the Beskid Sadecki, Beskig Niski, and the Biesczady, where they once again practice their uniquely rich culture and art.
While Lemkos are often classified as Ukrainians simply because they speak and write a language similar to Ukrainian (and because the Soviets ordered it so), true Lemkos do not consider themselves Ukrainian but simply Carpatho-Rusyn.
The Carpatho-Rusyns are an Eastern Slavic people from the Carpathian Mountains whose homeland spans southeastern Poland, northeastern Slovakia, western Ukraine and northern Romania. But they never had a country of their own.
There are many Americans who are of Lemko-Rusyn-Polish descent. But they have very limited access to buying traditional Lemko items from the homeland. Most of what is available stems from what I am able to bring back from Poland on my bi-annual Lemko Homeland Tours for the Carpatho-Rusyn Society (C-RS).
If Poland could start selling some items from the Lemko Region, I believe it could be an untapped business opportunity for you. After all, there are more ethnic Poles living in the Lemko Region than Lemkos. So their art is well regarded throughout the Polish community. In fact, the Lemko artistry is so unique that it has a far-reaching appeal beyond just Lemkos.
Some of the items I'd like to suggest Polart look into carrying are:
- The beautiful picture book "The Lemko Land (Lemkowszczyzna)" by Polish historian Antoni Kroh and Polish photographer Piotr Drozdzik and published by Bosz in Lesko.
--The picture book "Nikifor" by Andrzej Oseka and Zbigniew Wolanin featuring the unique artwork of famous Lemko-Polish folk artist, Nikifor (Drowniak) of Krynica, and also published by Bosz.
--The DVD "Moj Nikifor," about the same artist, which won the Polish equivalent of an Academy Award several years ago.
--Real, handpainted Easter eggs (pysanky), which I obtain through Fedor Goc at his Lemko Museum in Zyndranowa and from pysanky artist, Andrzej Malecky, of Gorlice.
--Woven linens with unusual Lemko detailing, which I find at the gift shop at the skansen in Sanok (but which, I believe, Polart can find through local artisans and buy wholesale.)
--Wood carvings in the unique Lemko style that anyone would like to have in their home. I have purchased mine in Krynica and Sanok. One of my prized possessions is a woodcarving of the Last Supper in the Lemko (Carpathian) design.
--Books and DVDs about the Lemkos, Akcja Visla, Wooden Churches, and WWI and WWII battles that took place in the Lemko Region (e.g., the Battle of Gorlice, the Battle of Dukla Pass, war in the Biesczady, etc.)--and about L'wow (not L'viv Ukraine) and other areas the used to be part of Poland but are now in western Ukaraine.
--CDs featuring famous Lemko musical groups such as Serencza (Gorlice), Lemko Tower (Warsaw), Zoria (Gorlice), and Kychera (Legnica) whose singing is so beautiful it is enjoyed by many people besides Lemkos.
I hope you will seriously consider my suggestion. I have recommended many people to Polart in the past. If you were to offer any Lemko items, I would be happy to publicize the fact through my own contacts.
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