#11: Lakdi Ki Kathi: All about kids

Meet Poonam Sharma, a true Delhite at heart, and an architect by profession, she has over 12 years of background in doing design work. She now owns the online furniture shop Lakdi Ki Kathi that specializes in kids’ furniture. “Back in April 2011, I went on a maternity leave from work, a few days before my baby was due. But I didn't know that I wasn't going to join them back. But the thing about having your child is that you also want to raise them yourself. You wish to be around when they learn how to hold their neck, start sitting, start eating, walking, talking, and the list is never ending. In short, I wanted to be around my daughter and see her grow up. And that basically meant that I could not get myself to go for a 12 hour/day kind of job,” shares Poonam. 

While searching for some furniture storage options for her daughter, Poonam realized what a huge gap there was in this segment. The choices she had were paying too much to buy high-price stuff from places like Hauz Khas Village or the malls. Or hire a carpenter to do it for you, (which is fine if you have a real love for seeing how furniture gets made and don't mind labourers sitting in your home). The last option was to hire a designer, who may or may not have the relevant expertise.

“But in today's world, no one really has the time or energy to get this done themselves, right? So, I saw a huge opportunity of combining my love for design and kids, into doing something that could save many parents all the hassle that I went through while furniture shopping for my daughter. That is what got me thinking about opening a shop. And with Anuj, my brother stepping in, he decided to put all his marketing gyan to make this into an online shop instead!” exclaims Sharma.

In the beginning of 2013, Poonam started to shortlist some carpenters after they did some sample pieces for her. Meanwhile, she also conceptualized the product range she was willing to offer and their designs. “Then we searched for a workshop space in the vicinity which was spacious enough. We officially opened the workshop in March this year. It took us almost 3 months to finally complete all the production and get the photography done. Later it took us another month to get the web store’s design up and running. In July, we officially announced the opening of our store Lakdi ki Kathi. Since then, it has been all about marketing and trying to reach out to the relevant audience,” she shares.

Ask her about what she loves the most about her new job and Poonam gets all excited. “Being my own boss and working from home is the most satisfying feeling ever. I love being around my daughter most of the time. And obviously designing for kids gives me a high. Since I learn a lot from my own experiences as a parent, am easily able to put them to a practical use.”

“On our store, we offer a lot of designs and a lot of customization, depending on any specific requirements the customer may have. From customizing by adding your child's name, giving colour options, multiple polish options, handle choices etc, we believe in giving the customer an exclusive experience. Right now, we need to push ourselves to think out-of-the box to get this into the hands of as many parents as possible. In future, I also wish to promote my design capabilities, by doing up the entire room and adding value in terms of design,” she ends.