SMART SPACES
AVNEET MANN 37 Founder, The Wishing Chair, Delhi and Bengaluru
Afan of Enid Blyton’s fantasy-filled world of stories, Avneet Mann took that as her inspiration while working on the product line at The Wishing Chair, a home decor and lifestyle store, which she started in 2012. Quirky, whimsical and colourful is how the accessories which include furnishings, kitchen and dining ware, rugs, stationery, travel knick-knacks and gifting are. “We take ideas from pop culture, movies, arts and culture, and nature to make our basic themes and colour palette. The materials we work with are ceramic, paper, metal, wood, fabric and textiles,” says Mann, an MBA who left her brand management job with Bausch and Lomb. Self-funded and later bootstrapped, The Wishing Chair now has two more stores—in Gurgaon and Bengaluru—and a website to cater to an expanding customer base. With a growth rate of more than 75 per cent in last three years, Mann though feels that entrepreneurship is 100 times tougher than any another job. She adds, “You need to understand what your customers demand, beat sexism, become a struggler, and exert your toughness.” Working with a team of eight designers and merchandisers, 36 vendors and coming up with three big collections a year, about 25 to 30 products are added every month across different categories. Mann follows the ‘more is less’ approach to merchandising when it comes to product display at all her stores.