Meet the SHEROES - Sanjeevani Thakur

The Second Row, often termed as India's first thrift store is an enterprising venture started by Aanchal Aggarwal and Sanjeevani Thakur. How is it different from other e- commerce offerings? Sanjeevani speaks to us and tells us about it. Let's read on to find out what this thrift store offers and how we as consumers can benefit from it.

How did the idea of The Second Row come about?
My co-founder, Aanchal & I started 'The Second Row' in July 2014, after deliberating the woes of urban Indian women, who have seemingly large wardrobes, yet often complain about not having enough. 'I have nothing to wear' is something that we have all uttered far too often; our peers around the globe mirror the same opinion. It got us thinking - No matter how much women shop, no matter what's out there, what's new & 'trending' will definitively cause our wardrobes to pale in comparison. We all want what others already have. Its human nature.  Also, the impact of heady consumerism on the environment is something that pricks our conscience. For example, there are 90 million items of clothing that end up in land-fill sites, contributing to an ever increasing garbage problem. Many of these would easily be lapped up by others if there was a more efficient way to put it back into circulation. Since the solution to the above problems didn't exist, we built it. 

The Second Row is an online fashion marketplace formulated for the purpose of creating a platform for women to sell & buy pre-owned brand-name, designer & luxury fashion. We provide an alternative channel of shopping that is not only affordable across a variety of High-street, designer & luxury brands but is also eco-friendly. TSR is a peer-to-peer marketplace where you can create closet space by offloading beautiful branded fashion that's in great condition & pick up a piece of fashion from another fashionista's wardrobe. Unlike other marketplaces, all our articles are hand-picked & cross-checked for quality, authenticity & priced accordingly to provide an exciting proposition for all shopaholics. Since we're dealing with women who are self-confessed fashion lovers, you can access adore-worthy fashion pieces, limited-edition & vintage picks that are not available anywhere else; its very exclusive, more akin to treasure hunting than shopping.

What do you hope to achieve in the short term with this service?
In the short-term, we hope to be the market leaders in fashion resale space, since its still largely at a nascent stage & we have the first mover advantage. We hope to reach out to as many end-users as possible & expand across all categories & segments of fashion. Next up, we'll working on updating our technology so that its easier for customers to list more products faster & softwares that enable seamless verification of labels in the future.

What are the challenges you face in this business?
Incidence of counterfeits & low-quality listings is a challenge since we do not compromise on the quality of what we offer. Its the easiest way to dilute the brand & we're very focussed on building trust within our consumer base. We want women to feel like 'The Second Row' is a platform they trust, so we spend a lot of effort on initiatives that will build a sense of community & ownership on the platform. Another challenge is reaching out to people & marketing but that's hopefully something we'll be able to tackle soon.

What beliefs help you propel forward in your journey as an entrepreneur?
I believe that we are all made to succeed, sooner or later. Some just don't because they stop trying. You fail when you stop trying.