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Luxe  living

Statements of style

Anita Lal.

We memorised Naidu’s “Bazaars of Hyderabad” for a minor exam; Anita Lal, the retail diva, dug into it for a deeper lesson. As she talks animatedly about bringing her retail concept to Bengaluru, Chennai and Singapore in October, you see it clearly. She handpicks the exotic, the little known and the best for home décor and use from the bazaars of the world, polishes and presents them in a setting the poem is famous for: the sights, sounds, textures, fragrance, ambience — minus the din and the dust.

An English teacher father, a post-graduate degree in Psychology, interest in pottery — nothing in all this points to entrepreneurship. “I was married into a business family,” says Lal, giving us a clue. Another marriage, her daughter’s, set her on the road to retail. As she shopped for the wedding in the U.S., it struck her. “Why can’t I sell the stuff I’m abroad for? I opened a small shop in Mumbai’s Kemp Corner sitting in Delhi. A case of ‘Fools rush in where angels fear to tread!’”

She started off with six designers and one manager and “nearly drowned” in Mumbai’s sea of commerce. “I didn’t give up, took a chance, without understanding the intricacies of business or competition. But then, if I had been schooled on the complexities I might not have done it!” Lesson one in Success.

What was she thinking? “We travel and are exposed to other cultures. Mine is a statement of style and luxury for the contemporary Indian — we have crockery, textiles, glassware, tea lights, candle lights, dining accessories, our own spa products, everything for an elegant lifestyle. For me luxury means the ability to surround oneself with an abundance of pure and natural materials.” In a polluted world, that comes at a price, a hefty one.

Photos: Sebastian Zachariah, R. Ragu

Creating distinct ambiences: Kansa thalis with puja essentials.

The 13 years she has been in business have shaped her thinking into a definable philosophy. It is: “creating a unique aesthetic space that speaks a contemporary Indian language.”

Lal’s outlets aren’t stores or shops. Selling, she insists, is the last of her excitements. “I’m interested in creating beauty. That is the impulse behind it.” At Good Earth all your senses are delighted — through the textiles, music, fragrances, colours and ambience. What you get is an experience, reflecting our sensibilities, rooted in things we know. She is willing to claim, “We have started a renaissance style.”

Who are the clients, oops, guests? The “aesthetic elite” in any age group, expats and foreign tourists. “The young Indian is very modern,” she compliments. “He sees the world with confidence. He knows there are viewpoints other than the Western one. He wants a home that reflects our personality, not a faux Italian one.” She sources her inventory from abroad, scouts for them around the country. She then re-defines them, gives them an edge. How you want to live is in the designed cotton bed sheets of 500-600 counts, in the quality of glass you own. “Unknown craftsmen have created exquisite designs without fuss. I took it further, one more little step.” And helped foster indigenous craft. “We featured kansa thalis in our shop and since then the guy has set up three factories. We revived silver-plated thalis, re-introduced the tradition of fragrancing the home. It gives the young in apartments a feel of grandma’s house.”

You walk around, and learn what constitutes luxurious beauty. “We don’t advertise,” she says. “It’s word-of-mouth. We don’t want to create an image that could end up unreal. We have brand-built loyal customers. Some stroll in every day.”

The Kemp’s Corner experiment closed, she scaled up to the sprawling Raghuvanshi Mills in Mumbai. She travelled through Delhi setting up four shops. Which energy source does she dip in? “Anita Lal doesn’t exist,” she says grandly. “The energy is behind me. No one can do it without a strong, dedicated, talented team.”

Why Chennai? Her feelers told her “the city has taken a leap in luxury shopping. We’re better equipped now with systems, back office and supply chain.” So she has figured out retail. “Took me years, I read up. By then I had begun to enjoy getting systems in place. We scaled up three, four years ago to coincide with the retail boom. Lucky for us, the economy got to be customer-driven.” Still, coming to Chennai is a passionate decision, not a business one.

What she sells is aspirational, the art of the possible. You have the money? We give you a lifestyle. “We edit everything carefully. Our skincare products are natural, authentic, exclusive, without the tyranny of the mass brand.” What is the trade off? “I can manage a lot. But I’ve had to give up my social life. Hey, I’m the happiest woman in the world. I spend my time doing what I want to do. I’m generally laid back, relaxed,” she giggles.

What next? “I see myself abroad when I’m in the shop. Not many places can say that. Now I want to take the Indian brand abroad. It has been an organic growth diversifying the product range.” The Mills store won the Indian Heritage Society award for renovation and preservation.

She doesn’t look hassled, though the launch is just a couple of weeks away. “We’re birthing our 7th kid. We know the routine. Good Earth has its chaap, there is the common thread, unspoken. You’ll say, ‘It feels like Good Earth’, but it’s no cookie-cutter stuff.” There has to be a management style. “Ours is a flat organisation, but let’s not knock management. Leadership thrives on emotional quotient, but systems help you to think in a particular way.” Says designer Pavithra, who’s been with Lal a long time. “Nita is excited by life — its colours, patterns, designs and ideas. Creative people are attracted to her passion and honesty and she nurtures them.”

Welcome to Chennai. “Good Earth will be a completely new experience. We’ll give the right finishing touch to your home. What to eat with, what to sleep in.”

Good Earth opens on Vijayadasami Day at 4th Street, Rutland Gate, Chennai.

saying it with style: Majito Mojo barware.

At every turn, you discover the unexpected at Good Earth, Mumbai.

The lifestyle store in mid-town Mumbai woos you through its cornucopia of vases, jewelled votives and pooja thaals. There are exquisite lanterns to bring pools of amber light into your home, hand-made bottles to lend an eclectic accent to your décor. Its latest festive collection is titled Taaro: puja essentials in kansa, sparkling silver sheathed barware in sleek cocktail shakers and salvers, gleaming champagne and ice buckets and suave tongs and coasters.

Lush silk cushion covers in fuchsia with rich tassels nestle with crisp table linen laced with a melee of contemporary modish designs and traditional motifs. Even pamper hampers in home spa essentials by Amritam. Exotic bath salts, pots and potions infused with the therapeutic essence of tea leaves and essential oils form the Ayurveda collection.

Good Earth houses the modern yet baroque. Feast upon shades of rubies and emeralds in snack bowls and mosaic trays, lavish fish shaped curios and patterned jewellery boxes. Fragrant candles, dainty flower shaped diyas resting atop a fine veined leaf, suave visiting card holders and a multitude of accessories like napkin rings, photo frames and mirrors with unconventional trimmings jostle for attention as you shop for experimental knick knacks to liven up your home décor. Shop on!

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