Our Beginnings
Founded in 2022, Baluka Shop’s mission is to preserve the traditional folk art of Ukraine and to support the local population during times of great economic hardship and war.
The company is named after our grandfather Stepan Ivanovych Baluka (Степан Іванович Балука), who was the mayor of Chernihiv, a northern city in Ukraine, from 1979 to 1984. Stepan Ivanovych was an avid supporter of Ukrainian folk art and worked closely with these artists. His admiration for the art form he passed down to his children and grandchildren. Today, we want to share these beautiful collectibles with you!
Where are Our Dolls Made
Located in the north of Central Ukraine, and known as the Spiritual Capital of Ukraine, Chernihiv was first mentioned in history more than 1000 years ago, founded in the 7th century. Home to ancient churches, the city was considered one of the most important centers of the Kyivan Rus’, being the center of princedom. In 2022, Chernihiv was given the honor of a Hero City by the Ukrainian government for her defense and outstanding heroism during the Russian Invasion. Russia failed to capture the city, but today, the outskirts are littered with landmines and have altered the landscape of normal life for families and commerce.
Two of our founders were born in this city and spent summers there during childhood to early adulthood. On trips back to the homeland, one haunt always on the list is to go to the childhood home of our grandfather, built during World War II. The second is visiting this traditional art studio (workshop), where these nesting dolls, amongst other wood-crafted items, are brought to life.
The Process
Our nesting dolls are made in Ukraine with local wood and perfected with local artists and specialists. A nesting doll set, called matryoshka, (or, матрьошка in Ukrainian) is carved from deciduous trees, primarily birch or linden, sourced in the forest of the Northern region of Ukraine, referred to as Severia. With over two decades of experience, each of our Master Woodworkers (or, столяри in Ukrainian) source top-quality logs, with attention to mitigating defects such as wood knots and rot. Logs are then stripped of bark and left to dry before being transformed into their memorable shapes. When dried, each form is carved individually, with the maximum width of the largest piece determined by the thickness of the tree used.
Once the entire blank set is created, they are passed on to the painters, who hand-paint each element on every individual doll until each is complete. Our nesting dolls are embellished with various traditional Ukrainian motifs, such as orthodox shawls headpieces and maiden flower crowns, viburnum berries, sunflowers, poppy flowers, wheat, welcome ceremony bread and salt, as well as various other culturally significant designs. They are then varnished and set, ready to find their homes within houses, like yours, around the world!
Since every doll is hand-carved, hand-painted, and hand-varnished, they are one of a kind.
We look forward to expanding our offerings to pysanky eggs, trinket boxes, ornaments, and decorative kitchenware in the coming months!
Thank you for your support!
Team of Baluka Shop
Vlad, Janina, and Tetyana