Open Hand Shop & Cafe Varanasi has been the face of Open Hand over the years and has become a must-stop for tourists. It is well advertised and acclaimed in travel guides and with tour operators. The shop was established in 2000 and comprises a retail shop, a cafe, and a printing unit. The target customers are primarily tourists, although expatriates and locals are also among customers. The shop is situated in the Assi area of town, walking distance from Assi Ghat and the Ganges River, sites popular among tourists.
The retail shop offers a variety of home decor and crafts items, such as table linen, bed linen, pillow covers, curtains, shawls, silk scarves, jewellery boxes, and postcards. The caf? offers a variety of drink, food, and baked products. The coffee has a competitive advantage in Varanasi, as there are few caf?s that offer a similar experience.
It is one of only two shops recommended in the Lonely Planet guide for silk shopping in Varanasi and is a quiet resting place in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the Holy City. It holds a competitive advantage particularly because of its combination of printing, cafe, and shop. The Open Hand Coffee Shop was the first of its kind in Varanasi and helped to create a coffee-culture amongst travellers and locals in the city.
The printing unit produces quality printed goods for customers as well as internal use, and employs previously marginalized people, most of who had been street children and received vocational training through the Open Hand Charitable Trust Learning Center/Literacy Program.