Four friends and homemakers with an eye for colour and design decided to pool in their talent and money to begin something with a creative touch. Thus was Sparsh born two years ago with Sheeba Jayan, Beena Faizal, Sunu Mathew and Latha Kurien joining hands to come up with a venture for house proud men and women.
They observed that unless one travelled a great deal and knew what was available where, it used to be quite difficult to get customised linen for homes in the city.
“Although plenty of sales and exhibitions are conducted in the city with clockwork regularity, we found that there was almost nothing for the home. That was when we thought of forming a venture that specialises in home linen,” says Beena.
Each of them unleashed their creativity to design a range of linen that was embellished with embroidery, appliqué, cut work and lace. They sourced their material from all over the country and if they felt that a piece could do with a bit of embellishment, they gave it to a team of homemakers in and around the city and in Kollam.
“Essentially, it was all about helping each other. For many homemakers, this was an outlet for their creativity that also helped them earn without stepping out of their homes. Their fine work gave us products that were exclusive and eye-catching,” says Sheeba.
Patterns, colours and threads were given to the women and they executed the work. Teamwork is the key to their success. “Right from the beginning, we decided that four of us would be involved in all aspects of the venture, be it buying, designing, financing, pricing or travelling. There is a synergy that has helped the team,” says Beena.
Their first sale in the city was sold out as eager shoppers snapped up the prettily embroidered mats, runners, bed linen et al. Nine sales, including one in Bangalore followed and each time the quartet did well.
In between they also tried their hand at selling homemade delicacies whipped by them. “That too did well. Four of us are fond of cooking and food and so we wanted to see if we could turn that into a business. For a sale at Trivandrum Club we had a spread of pies, quiches and desserts and they were all hot sellers,” says Beena.
Encouraged by the success, they plan to cater to select customers. But their main interest is still home linen.
Now they are returning to where it all began two years ago. On the anvil is a sale at the Women’s Club, Kowdiar, on August 6, 7 and 8. Timings: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. For sale are table runners, table cloth, bed sheets, bed covers, quilts, comforters, place mats, towels, covers for grinders, fridge handles... The price ranges from Rs. 100 to Rs.4,000.
