If you are on the hunt for homegrown, small businesses in Chennai, then Nivedita Ganeshram’s Instagram page is a great find. The city-based digital strategist — who is gearing up for her first pop-up this weekend — hit upon the idea in August 2020. “Back then, a lot of my artiste friends started running their own small businesses, from baking to organic skincare. I wanted to cheer them on,” says Nivedita.
The performing Bharatanatyam dancer adds that a video call with a friend led to the idea of starting a separate page for artistes, @madrasfinds. “This is our humble journey towards bringing a ‘shop local’ revolution in our country,” she adds.
Nivedita Ganeshram
The page is a good resource to find brands, artistes and influencers from the city. A pop-up, says Nivedita, seemed like a natural progression. Themed ‘Ancient Madras’, to commemorate Independence Day, the upcoming event features several brands such as cheesecake label 22 Roses, Hersh Calligraphy, Garden Store, Davrah (filter coffee), Sangiah (upcycled fashion), Qidhan (organic food staples), Studio Melt (artisan soy candles) and Hotchpotch (Resin home decor). “I am excited for apparel brand Thayalist, which is launching at the event, and thrift store Relove Closet is participating in a pop-up for the first time,” she says.
A snapshot of products at The Flower Shop
The 28-year-old explains that a lot of these brands have come her way via recommendations from friends and people within the community. “My top five finds would be food subscription service The Good Life Eatery, The Beachville Coffee Shop, Serious Sweets, Fuller Earth Botanicals, and granolas at Fruit Print. It’s great that our growth has been completely organic; via word-of-mouth. I believe it is because of how we curate our page with high-quality, cruelty-free, sustainable brands that we first try and then recommend,” says the 28-year-old.
Kicked about her first event, the entrepreneur is also thinking about scaling up her ‘Beyond Madras’ series — that features brands from other cities — to include city-wise pages.
The pop-up is on August 14 and 15 at House of Chase, Alwarpet, 10.30 am.
Published - August 11, 2021 02:32 pm IST
