Why are Animal Arts prices higher than, say, IKEA or Walmart?

You'll likely notice that the art here doesn't sell for $29.99 or have faux-Swedish sounding names. That's because each piece is inspired, designed, carefully made, and mailed to you from Toronto, Ontario, Canada (not China). In fact, everything is made in a small studio on Dupont Street which is part of the Akin Collective (It all started with spray painting in an alleyway and avoiding neighbors' stares)

It is true that local art with custom, high quality workmanship costs more than mass-produced factory pieces. After all, Asian export factories use the cheapest ingredients and treat labor as a factor input, not as human and much less as artists. Each piece we make takes around 23 distinct steps to produce and there's no machines to pump out thousands for the mass market. 

Also, it's important to compare apples to apples: relative to other art sold in the Toronto market, Animal Arts is competitive and strives to keep costs low. Plus, our earnings are re-invested into the North American community of which we are a part and developing new, innovative, striking art that makes our lives feel more alive. 

So next time you're comparing an Ikea "Björksta" to Animal Arts, consider not only which style works best for the space, but also which social and environmental factors matter most to you.