The Chalk Boutique (Featured Shop)

When two talented individuals fostering the dream of owning a boutique shop, have a serendipitous run into at their children’s pre-school, the new found friendship is bound to have a creative offspring......This week we have the spotlight on Kajal Maheshwari & Kavitha Chowdhri's entrepreneurial venture, “The Chalk Boutique”(TCB). 

Kajal (left) and Kavitha (right), the dynamic team at The Chalk Boutique 

A lifestyle and home accessories store, TCB is tucked away in a charming bungalow in Whitefield (Bangalore). It took the ambitious duo 8 months of conceptualising and numerous cups of tea to bring TCB to reality. Curious about the name TCB? Kajal answers that for us, “Kavitha and I are fond of doodling and use a black board quite often in our homes. But on a more serious note, we want our store to be ever evolving and felt that a chalkboard signifies the same.”

True to its name, the duo have even incorporated the chalkboards as a design element into their store. With Chalkboards and doodles as the backdrop, shelves display an assortment of thoughtfully curated studio pottery, designer candles, baskets, trays, coasters, cushion covers, vintage photo frames, wall art, garden accessories and fashion merchandise such as clothes, jewelery, handbags, organizers, footwear.....The list is long, so take a look!

 

The team at TCB is aware of the fact that their patrons appreciate established designers yet have an appetite for emerging talent. Kajal emphasises this fact when she says, "Our main objective is to promote upcoming designers and house products which are handmade. Most of the time we travel and handpick our products and at other times, we have our lovely vendors sending us products based on our selection."

Kajal takes pride in their curated collection and squarely points out that "it’s the “individuality” of our items that sets us apart from the mass scale produce available." TCB is refreshingly different in terms of the fact that they showcase products that are unique, handmade, handpicked in a medley of styles, colors, textures and tones yet affordable. 

Kajal also shares with us challenges of being a small business business owner, “The first challenge was envisioning the idea and bringing it onto paper. Raising capital was the next step and the seed capital for our business came in from our savings. Then the initial steps of finding the right business location, the right staff and getting our business registrations in place took a lot of our energies. And of course deciding when to call it a day especially when we are our own bosses, is something that we deal with every day. But it's all so worthwhile when customers walk in and tell us that each nook and corner  of the boutique is a true labor of love”.

And now for some valuable advice from Kajal for those of us who want to take the plunge into following our heart and dreams, “ Do what you love and believe in it! Businesses built around your strengths and talents will have a greater chance of success. It's not only important to create a profitable business, it's also important that you're happy managing and growing it, day in and day out. If your heart isn't in it, you will not be successful.”

Thank you Kajal for reaching out to TECD and giving us a tour of your lovely boutique and sharing your entrepreneurial experiences .We wish Kajal and Kavitha luck in their creative endeavor.

Image Copyright/Credit -  The Chalk Boutique. The images may not be reproduced under any circumstances without the prior written approval of the owners.