About Us
'Babooshka’,
which in Russian means
‘Grandmother’, was named in honour of my daughters
Russian grandmother, Nina Belskaya, who still lives in the small industrial
town of Molodechno in Belarus and also my late wife Ludmilla Meikhailovna who
sadly died in 1997 aged just 37 years.
Luda’s one
great ambition in life, was to see her grandchildren, an ambition she never
achieved. The naming of the company seemed appropriate and I hope that
‘Babooshka’ is, and continues to be, a tribute to them both.
The company was formed in 1997
following my long association of import and export to Russia, Belarus and the
Baltic states. Many requests from family and friends to bring back traditional
art and craft items from my frequent business trips and a personal interest in
the culture and the people brought about a progression into the business as it
is now.
| The
principle aim of the company is to provide a service to our customers supplying
a range of quality items that might not otherwise be available outside of
Russia.
|
 |
Another , and wider aim of the company is to help promote a more
positive attitude to Russia, it’s culture but mostly it’s people. During
several years living in Belarus ( which has close social and diplomatic
relations with Russia but is independent), amongst ordinary working people and
as part of a family, I came to understand the real daily struggles of life in
this vast and diverse country.
Family life forms the heart of Russian society and they retain a
cultural identity which is closely connected to the seasons of the year and the
natural world.
Crafts men and women are still respected and are at the heart of
society instead of on the fringes. The artists with whom we work are highly
skilled and professional, taking great pride in their work. I consider it is a
privilege to be associated with them.
| I
very much hope that in some small way we as a company and myself as an
individual, help to positively bring about an economic improvement to the lives
of the people with whom we work and a better understanding of their culture.
|
 |
You, as our customer have a very important part in this also. We
hope that you gain confidence in us as a company and satisfaction in the
knowledge that with every item you buy comes the knowledge that a family will
be better able to provide for themselves and be able to look forward to a
positive future with pride.
We have pleasure in presenting to you our www site and hope that
you find items that will be of interest to you, your friends and family.
Adrian C W Wade
© Babooshka 2001
Here are some recent comments from customers who have purchased online with us:
"Just letting you know that I am very pleased with the dolls they are beautiful, looking forward to shopping with you again, great service." Bridie
"Thank you so much ..my order has arrived..they are lovely...will continue to collect Babooshka's and the story is nice my grandchildren will love them all..." Mags
"Hi Karen. I’ve unpacked the doll and it’s beautiful – so pleased that I ordered one from you rather than buying a cheaper one that I’d seen in the shops. My daughter will love it." Penny
"Hi Karen. I have recieved the dolls and am just emailing you to tell you how happy I am with them these will make my mam very happy this Christmas, thank you again for your great service! Merry Christmas." Julie
"Thank you so much for your FANTASTIC customer service! I received my item really fast - the day after I ordered. It was wrapped perfectly and I loved the snippets of history that you included about the background and history of my beautiful Matryoshka. I will certainly recommend your website to my friends!
" LA
"Just a quick message to thank you for the speedy delivery and the excellent service. The dolls you sent have exceded expectation and are sure to please my daughter on Christmas morning. Once again many thanks." JS
"Thanx for very quick delivery, lovely item, will recommend to friends." GW
"Just a note to thank you for the excellent service on my order. Delivery was fast and very well packaged and the dolls are absolutely beautiful. Thank you for the additional information about the history of the dolls too. I am very glad I ordered one for myself as well as buying gifts!" CO
"Order received and it's beautiful - all red and gold just right for Christmas." LH
"I would just like to thank you for your excellent service. I ordered a doll from your website last week to be delivered to my young niece in London in time for her birthday. The doll arrived on the exact date you had specified, and more importantly my 3 year old niece loves her russian doll! I just wanted to send a little thank you for providing such great products and service! Many thanks from Canada." AA
"Thank you for such a prompt and efficient service ... On behalf of myself and the little girl who will be receiving this item officially from Father Christmas, may I thank you once again and send you my best wishes for New Year." AW
"I recieved my 2 sets of Russian dolls today which I only ordered just before the weekend. I just thought I would e-mail to say thank you for the quick delivery and to say how lovely they are, my daughter and her friend will be really pleased with them." CP
"This is just to say thank you very much for sending the matryoshka, which arrived safely yesterday and look terrific. It's been a pleasure doing business."
TWT
"Just to let you know that I have received the dolls and I am absolutely delighted with them, was stunned when I had a look at them. My wife will be very pleased with them." Andy
"I just wanted to let you know that I received my order today, and I just love all of the items.! Thanks so much for offering such wonderful products. I look forward to doing business with you again." CT
back to home page