We are the Pokolenko family - Natalia, Dmytro and Maria. In 2019, we founded the WoodLike souvenir shop in Kostiantynivka, Donetsk Oblast. We set it up in the same place where Dmytro's great-grandfather also had his own business a hundred years ago, making mirrors and baguettes for them.
For almost four years now, we have been making wooden souvenirs that you can touch and feel warm. We want people to take our products from Donetsk region as gifts home, as a memento of our region.
Because of Russia's war in Ukraine in the spring of 2022, we were forced to leave our home, but we took all the equipment from the workshop with us. And now, in Kyiv, we continue to do our work.
We call ourselves a social family business. We give part of our profits in cash or our products to those who are bringing the Victory closer today. We support volunteer training camps for the Armed Forces of Ukraine and help the Faino conversation club, which moved from Kramatorsk to Berezhany in Ternopil Oblast, to implement cultural initiatives. We believe that one person can do a little, but together we become an invincible nation capable of great things.
We appreciate what people make with their hands, because such products are always warm and have a soul. Environmental friendliness is also important to us, so we use natural materials in our work.
We are proud of our embroidered map of Ukraine, where all the regions are huddled together, all different, but all together. We believe that it will continue to be so. So in 2023-2024, we will make every effort to bring our Victory closer.
We also want to find partners in Europe and the United States and enter foreign markets. We already have our first sales - our products have been shipped to France and the United States. The art of small steps will allow us to bring our goal closer and make it a reality!
Writer: Iryna Shatalova
