The SAGA OF SWAMINI SAREES – THE MAHARANI OF SAREES
Kumthekar Road, Pune, located near
Laxmi Road, has always been Pune’s traditional clothes shopping landmark. Swamini
Sarees – Sadiyon Ki Maharani is one such attraction. Located in Bizzyland
Building, Phadtare Chowk, Kumthekar Road, Pune, this single three-storied AC
shop is the leading showroom for shopping for wide-ranging sarees. Apart from
traditional to designer & fancy, wedding, daily wear, etc., it is Pune’s
only store to have Silkmark sarees. The fashion and saree business got
reinvented in recent times thanks to Swamini Sarees.
Established by Riyaz Shaikh or
Abbu in 2002, this Swamini Sarees showroom brought back the Paithani sarees
trend and created uniq
ue designs. For every occasion, sarees from Swamini
Sarees are a must. Their Paithanis have a cult following amongst shoppers. Celebrities
& famous personalities visit this store to purchase sarees as per their
likes. Celebrating its successful 20th year, the journey of Swamini
Sarees in truly becoming Sadiyon Ki Maharani can be a footnote in saree history.
Abbu was born in his Ganj Peth in
1942. Four generations of his family were already in the saree business. Abbu's
grandfather later set up a saree shop in Pune's Cantonment area in 1901. Working
in the family saree business refined Abbu's knowledge of the saree market.
At an early age, Abbu went on his
first purchase journey to Malegaon, Nashik. His experiments in purchasing sarees
gave the business a sharp rise. A weaver made Abbu realise to take keen
interest in weavers and their work. What worked in Abbu’s favour was the trust he
created amongst weavers. This trust became a longstanding aspect of his work. He
would also come early at his store and work on every detail to run the
business. This helped him later to work with others in other stores.
After a successful 72-year run, Abbu’s
father decided to sell the store in 1972 due to some reasons. But Abbu wanted
to carry forward his family’s legacy. Keeping his dreams in mind, he chose to
find work in the saree industry itself. An acquaintance suggested him to visit Pune’s
Laxmi Road for better prospects.
Here, Abbu got lucky at a
prominent saree store in 1973. Here he expressed his ability to work in every
department. He was able to hone his skills in purchasing, selling sarees and
everything in between. Being from Urdu medium school background and having
lived in Camp, Marathi did not come naturally to him. But he learned well to
impress one and all.
Abbu shouldered the additional
responsibility of purchasing sarees from different places. His saving money skills
and purchasing as per requirement became his plus point later. His nature of
connecting with people and keeping them close helped him at various points of
his life. This very nature made him a well-respected figure in professional and
personal life.
He left the job after five years
to join another store. Here too, Abbu rose in ranks. He worked here for almost
five and half years before seeking success at Pune’s leading clothing &
saree store. After five and half years, he left it to show his spark at a saree
store in Bhawani Peth. It is important to note that all the stores Abbu worked
after leaving the first store wanted him to join them. He was very much in
demand.
During his whole journey, his
wife became his backbone. The practical lady saved up his every penny and even began
her fall & pico work from home. His liberal family remained the foundation
on which he built Swamini Sarees on Kumthekar Road.
However, the idea of starting his
saree store and being an entrepreneur was still in his heart. So at age 51, he
took the chance. With his engineer son running the house, this was an ideal
scenario for him. The issue of added investment came up. Luck was with Abbu. His
well-wishers helped him monetarily in his process of start his business.
But wait! The follow-up of
Swamini Sarees' foray into becoming the leading saree store amongst Punekars,
Maharashtrians and Indians will come next Friday. You must read about their
journey to finally creating an empire which is now the capital of ethnic & designer
saree world.
The success story of Swamini
Sarees – Sadiyon Ki Maharani on Kumthekar Road, Pune, is admirable and will be
further disclosed next Friday.
To hear Riyaz Shaikh of Swamini Sarees, Kumthekar Road, Pune speak about Swamini's journey, please click on this link – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2aSxhZmPar9_wCSl7rcfdg
Hear Swamini Saree’s saga at 10AM on Pune Akashwani 101. Yashogatha Sadyanchi Maharani Swaminichi reveals their 20 years journey. TUNE EVERY FRIDAY!
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