There’s more to calligraphy than simply “beautiful writing”. It requires a great deal of skill and technique to inscribe the words in a manner that reflects aesthetic beauty and creative mastery. Though the demand for hand-penned intricate lettering is on the wane, today’s calligraphers are reinventing their crafts to ensure the artform remains relevant for years to come.

Let’s bring to you the story of one such fine calligrapher who is on a mission to spread awareness about the beautiful artform that’s slowly being pushed into oblivion by its more popular counterparts. Here’s Pooja, the founder of The Write House, a startup that strives to thrust into the limelight of the unmatched charm and elegance of the dying artform.

Launched on 26th May 2020, The Write House focuses on “basically educating people about how beautiful calligraphy is” while also highlighting the emotional toil one has to undergo to bring this art to life. Besides good handwriting, a calligraphy artist requires infinite patience to be able to spend countless hours creating draft after draft in an attempt to chase that ever-elusive perfection.

Best things in life happen unplanned

Pooja had never planned to become a calligraphy artist. All she wanted to do was explore the creative field.

She explains “In the year 2020, right before the first lockdown was imposed, I was browsing through Instagram, and a calligraphy workshop ad popped up. After that workshop, I practiced for straight 8- 10 hours and that’s how my interest grew.”

What began as a hobby turned into a passion. The then-25-year-old decided to delve deep into the subject and invested in a calligraphy machine worth Rs.30000, ordered specifically from California with the lids costing somewhere around 100-200 bucks. As her skills improved, her confidence soared. Eventually, she decided it was the right time to launch her own brand.

The initial days were full of struggle and learning. Since calligraphy is confined to a niche market in our country, Pooja faced challenges in finding calligraphy materials and supply vendors. However, as she interacted with different calligraphers from across the globe, the path became clearer and that initial struggle led to eventual success.

Experimenting with the fine art of calligraphy

As the brainchild of a gifted calligraphy artist and engraving specialist, the Write House 2020 offers calligraphy services in the form of handwritten letters, gift tags, place cards and table cards. Pooja took her artistry to greater heights by recently starting to engrave on alcohol bottles, perfume bottles, wine glasses and champagne glasses. The talented artist has engraved over 300 bottles till date. The products are mostly personalized in accordance with customer requirements. Calligraphy isn’t just restricted to paper. You’d find her work imprinted on “every surface possible” be it a wooden surface or an acrylic one, leather jacket or denim ones – she has no inhibition in exploring her craftsmanship on even the most unconventional surfaces.

The Bombay-based brand has served more than 1000 clients so far and provides shipping facilities across India and abroad. Be it her handwritten letters to popular actress Kareen Kapoor, an engraved perfume bottle for Nicol from Team Naach or engraved champagne lopes for Ranvijay Sinha – her breathtaking calligraphy has impressed them all. Pooja was featured in Vogue as well as Femina just a few months back.

Carving an extraordinary future

Like any story worth telling, this one too is marked by hardships and disappointments. These adversities prepared Pooja for the journey ahead and now with orders pouring in, she’s raring to go.

When asked about her five-year plan, Pooja says “In the next 5 years, I see my startup being recognised by all global platforms. I’m looking forward to receiving bulk orders so that I get to do more of what I love. The process is so joyful and therapeutic that I don’t see myself doing anything else anytime soon.”

She intends to conduct offline workshops once Covid  makes a permanent exit from India.

Instagram link :- https://instagram.com/thewritehouse2020?utm_medium=copy_link

To Know more Startup Stories on The Business Press, visit – https://www.thebusinesspress.in/category/startup-stories/

Lights, glitter, sparkle and all things gifts. Tell us how many times have you ran out of ideas to gift something to your family or friends on numerous occasions every year? Let us guess, one too many to keep a count! We know because we have been in the same dilemma until now. We know someone who has vowed to solve this problem for all of us while being affordable at the same time.

Let us introduce…

Glitters and Sparkles is a gifting solution company owned and managed by the lovely Zainab Bhati. When most youngsters are still figuring out what stream to study, busy enjoying K-pop or simply figuring out life, Zainab has started a business from home. Before the pandemic hit, Zainab was a play-school teacher. Zainab is crafty and has always loved gifting personalized things to friends and family on most occasions. No doubt, her hobby was praised by a lot hence she started Glitters and Sparkles out of love and with an investment of only Rs. 500.

F.R.I.E.N.D.S paved the way…

It started with the basics such as customised wishes and quotes printed on mugs, t-shirts and any other customizations requested by the client. But the real deal was the ever-loved US television series F.R.I.E.N.D.S. Zainab got hooked on to it and started to design gifts around the sitcom’s theme. Soon her friends started demanding for more and different gifts around this theme.

So along with separate items, Zainab decided to make a F.R.I.E.N.D.S. themed box with different goodies customized to the recipient of the gift. While Zainab was making progress on adding varieties to the business, her priority was to ensure that her products were affordable for all. Compared to her competitors, Zainab deals in better pricing but doesn’t compromise on the quality of her products. She uses fine wood for her F.R.I.E.N.D.S. themed gift box. The average cost of her products is Rs. 450 with customised mugs starting from as low as Rs. 300 and t-shirts starting from Rs. 350.

Going International…

Zainab is overwhelmed with the progress of her small business to have come to 1500+ orders till date. She started with 1 order per week and today is selling up to 40 orders per week. She looks at a bright future with clients such as Wardha Nadiadwala (Sajid Nadiadwala’s wife) and Bandgi Kalra (Big Boss 11 contestant) under her client list already.

Her future plans include a brick-and-mortar presence of her brand and to also provide same day delivery for her customers. Glitters and Sparkles current focus is on quality and affordable products and customer satisfaction. With a substantial presence in Mumbai, Zainab focuses on expanding her brand internationally in the next five years.

We wish Zainab the very best for her future endeavours. Meanwhile you can always find beautiful gifting options with Glitters and Sparkles on their Instagram page @glittersandsparkles_

To read more Startup Stories on The Business Press, visit – https://www.thebusinesspress.in/category/startup-stories/

“A room should never allow the eye to settle in one place. It should smile at you and create fantasy,” – Juan Montoya. 

Today, this quote stands true to every word. Today, people are curating their home décor to their personalized style while keeping it simple and unique.

Until yesterday, the fashionable and stylish home décor items were limited only to the high spenders of the society but that isn’t the case today. Today the young generation is constantly looking for DIYs and inspirations in any matter on the social media giant Pinterest.

Talking of Pinterest, let us introduce this home décor brand called “Fall For Flora”. With its unique take on the good old swings and making it better, it has managed to carve a niche in the market at relatively affordable prices. They specialize in gorgeous looking and ecological home décor products such as macrame swings, wood and LED planters, making their Instagram feed look aesthetically beautiful and make you forget Pinterest.

What makes the maker of Fall For Flora…

Juhi Jain is a graduate in journalism and mass communication with a specialization in event management and public relations. Juhi was working in Mumbai in a fashion designing firm, but when Covid hit, Juhi returned back to her home town Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh.

With a lot of time on her hands, Juhi found interest and started looking out for manufacturers of planters and especially LED planters. Juhi Fall For Flora – This women-led startup is betting on creativity and innovation to bring us the best home décor products.on Pinterest and wished to have 1 for herself. When she couldn’t find 1 anywhere to be purchased from that’s when the idea to make and sell took a big turn for ‘Fall For Flora’.

Macrame all the way…

In November 2020, with a budget of only Rs.50,000 and a lot of research, Juhi was successful to find workers and manufacturers for the macrame swings. Today ‘Fall For Flora’ has sold above 2300 orders including the wooden and LED planters in different sizes. While keeping it ecological, the team ensures the materials used are strong and reliable. Although using the best quality cushions for the swings and wood for the planters, Juhi has managed to keep the products as affordable to the common man as it gets. Also with no retailers in between manufacturers and ‘Fall For Flora’, the customers get a better price from a trustworthy seller.

There is no looking back…

‘Fall for Flora’ has already made its place in the Indian market and soon wishes to export internationally starting with the USA next year. There is a huge demand from interior decorators and contractors in India hence there are plans to introduce roughly 15 more designs and styles for the swings and planters all while keeping it eco-friendly and best in quality. 

So the next time, you find something aesthetically beautiful on Pinterest and want it for your home décor, do remember to check out these beautiful products of “Fall For Flora” on Instagram @fall_for_flora

To read more Startup stories on The Business Press, visit :- https://www.thebusinesspress.in//category/startup-stories/

Bohemian elements have made their presence felt in the recent years thanks to its cool and breezy aesthetic. One of the signature trademarks of bohemian décor is macrame. Macrame is a technique or method of crafting a textile that uses several knots to form the basic shape and function of the piece. Each knot can be created with your hands, and there are no other tools required other than a mounting stand to keep the item in place while you work. 

Giving Macrame a Modern Twist

Capitalizing on this recent trend, Shashirekha decided to incorporate these bohemian elements in the home décor segment. 

In 2017 after spending 17 years in Telecom sector Shashirekha decided to quit her successful Corporate career  and give her creativity a physical outlet by launching Crafts & Drapes. It was also the time when her little one needed her the most. After exploring a number of varied crafts, she chanced upon the art of macramé and needless to say, she was hooked. 

“As a fiber artist, I explored with all different types of yarns available in the market. At that time, supply in India was short so it almost took 6-8 months to hunt for the right yarn. However, once I found it, I took lots of creative liberties and began creating different products. Macrame is an intricate art that requires the right kind of material to give it an appealing look.” reveals Shashirekha. 

The Indian market was still new to this unusual art form and thus Shashirekha identified the gap in the home décor market & launched Crafts & Drapes. Introducing this new product was a tough challenge in domestic market but who could resist something so beautiful? “I created my online marketplace on Etsy which is an international platform known for handmade products. This helped me gain good traction from various countries like US, Canada, UK, Australia, Germany, UAE and India of course. I serviced almost 500+ clients across the globe.” 

Macrame at the Movies

Another avenue for revenue is movie production sets. Crafts & Drapes has created customized props for several movies and ad films. She says, “I have been approached by many production designers wanting to use my products in their shoots. I have executed several of these and I must say, it feels great to see my work appearing on celluloid. It is my dream to someday have my own studio where I can collaborate with bigger interior designing brands and create fiber art installations.” 

When Shashirekha started out, she got a good response from the International market compared to that in India. However, in the year 2019-2020, the brand Crafts & Drapes saw a sudden spike in domestic orders. As the awareness of macramé products increased in India, more and more people were interested in learning about this unique art. It also saw a significant increase in online orders as people began spending more and more time at home due to the global pandemic. This helped Shashirekha gain popularity among the Indian market too.

Instagram link:- https://www.instagram.com/craftsndrapes/

To read more Startup Stories on The Business Press, visit :- https://www.thebusinesspress.in/category/startup-stories/