Business
At 'Vanity Fair', shopping is a family outing!
At a time when retail shop owners are feeling the pinch from online
shopping, a home-grown fair in Chandigarh's backyard is making its mark
as a commercial success as well as becoming a popular event for a family
outing with some shopping thrown in.
As the 24th edition of
'Vanity Fair' gets under way next weekend (March 14-15), spring-time
shopping, barbeque food, spirits and even things thrown in for kids will
be part of the now bi-annual affair.
Held at the lawns of the
'Whispering Willows', a country retreat and farmhouse near Chandigarh,
'Vanity Fair' has earned itself a reputation of an exclusive event for
exhibition of prêt and couture, jewellery, bags, footwear, accessories,
paintings, home decor, furniture, garden accessories, carpets and even
kids products.
"We started Vanity Fair on a very small scale in
2001. We wanted people to come for an outing at the farm resort and shop
as well. In our first show, there were only eight participants but it
got a good response," entrepreneur Priya Jagat, who left her job as a
banker to start the exhibition enterprise, told IANS.
From the
small beginning where the exhibitors were not even in double figures to
the present when the event is held twice every year, and Priya has to
pick and choose the number of exhibitors from all over the country who
want to be part of 'Vanity Fair', the event has certainly grown.
"Most
exhibitors are manufacturers themselves. We want to get in and promote
those who do not run commercial establishments. I don't even put up the
stall of my own store (Vanity Box). We screen the participants to ensure
quality control," Priya pointed out.
Initially, most exhibitors
were individual women. The trend now is of husband-wife or
mother-daughter teams who come to exhibit and sell their products at the
fair.
Some exhibitors have been coming for 15 years now.
The event, which was an annual event in March initially, was converted to a bi-annual affair (March and October) in 2006.
"Nearly
90 percent of the exhibitors are from outside Punjab and Chandigarh.
Over 20 percent of them come from Mumbai, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Jaipur and
Hyderabad," she said.
"The rest are from all over the country.
We try to have a ratio of exhibitors of various products," she said,
adding that bridal stuff and precious jewellery were not allowed to be
exhibited.
Some of the unique products at the fair include organic honey collected from different parts of the country.
"Depending
on the region and climate, honey procured from natural surroundings
tastes quite different," Abhay Jagat, Priya's husband, who assists her
in the venture, told IANS.
"Food and music are integral part of
Vanity Fair along with shopping. Here people come, sit out to eat from
the barbeque and kitchen, enjoy music and the atmosphere," Abhay added.
"It is good fun for the entire family. There is even a kids' corner to keep children engaged," he said.
(Jaideep Sarin can be contacted at [email protected] )