5 minute read
Puttul's Craft-Handmade gift store.
Puttul's Craft is a handmade gift store which offers a variety of products like handcrafted jewellery, quilling products, Mandala Art products, home decor products, wedding accessories, refurbished old furniture, etc. This unique home based enterprise was started by Mayuri Signapurkar in the year 2016. It was initially based in Margao, but has now shifted operations to Porvorim. All of Mayuri's work is done by custom orders. If extra stock is available, then she displays pictures of her products on social media. Since the past two years, Mayuri has also started making Ganesh Murthi jewellery decor
Mayuri hails from an event management background. After completing her graduation, she pursued a postgraduate programme in event management from NIEM, Pune. After working for a few companies, she founded her own company called Aromma Creative Events in 2014. She worked as a venue volunteer officer in Goa for the FIFA U-17 World Cup and has also organised many corporate events in Goa. She also worked with the Entertainment Society of Goa on a contract basis.
Mayuri never thought she'd start her own business selling handmade items. She loved art and craft since her school days, wherein she used to participate in drawing competitions, mehendi competitions, etc. She observed that quilling was trending in the market. Quilling is a craft by which one makes paper beads, jewellery, cards, miniatures, frames etc. She happened to share it with her best friend and they were excited to make earrings out of paper strips.
However, once they made the earrings, the question arose in their minds, " Now what? What do we do with these earrings?" While pondering over this question, Mayuri wondered, why not sell them? They made many pairs of earrings and sold them at a flea market in Margao, where they managed to sell 60% of their stock of earrings. They also managed to get orders for earrings in specific colour combinations. Soon, Mayuri came to be known for her quilled earrings.
At the beginning, it was Mayuri and her best friend trying to satisfy their passion for making earrings. After a month, her best friend decided to leave the business. Being a physiotherapist, she couldn't make time for the earring business.
Thus, Mayuri was all on her own now. Mayuri does everything by herself - right from designing her products, to carrying her goods in trunks and boxes to flea markets. The client response to her products has always been great. From quilling and mandala art to decoupage and warli art, people get mesmerised looking at her products, especially the dot mandala where one needs to have the precise size of dot formation.
Whenever required, Mayuri always gets a helping handfrom her friends and family in making her handcraftedproducts. She has a strong customer base consisting ofpeople from different backgrounds, who love handmadeitems and appreciate the aesthetics and creativity in theproducts they order. Mayuri also designs furniture decorand has done interiors for a few cafes and houses inGoa. Her creativity has no barrier.
Despite her success, people questioned Mayuri about her profit from the business. Few friends even felt that her work wouldn't lead to anything. It would only be a pastime for her. Mayuri’s only answer to these people was that this is not an area which everyone can understand. It is a vast subject, and there are experts in the craft who earn way more than cynics do. One day, Mayuri sees herself as one of those experts. She believes that she doesn't need to prove herself to the people around her. She trusts her own work and is proud of what she is doing. Today, she is a name to be reckoned with in the market and has won many awards for the work she has done. She also holds the position of Vice-Chairperson in the handicrafts category at the Goa GoWomania Trust, a collective of women entrepreneurs in Goa..
Mayuri's plans for the coming years include expansion of her business and looking at scope for collaboration in sales. Mayuri says one should believe in oneself, no matter what people around say, as you do not owe them any explanations. One day, society itself will know when one is a diamond in the crowd.
Puttul's Craft offers home delivery of their products. Customers interested in placing orders for their products can contact Mayuri on 8600804144.
To know more about Puttul’s Crafts and the products they offer, visit:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/puttulscraft
Instagram: www.instagram.com/puttuls_craft
