Meet the SHEROES - Sneha Raisoni

A chartered accountant by qualification and an ex-investment banker by profession, Sneha Raisoni finally decided to take the plunge in 2009 to begin her venture – Tappu ki Dukaan.

This first time entrepreneur wanted to offer ‘quirky, fun and unique’ products to clients and that’s what fuelled the idea of ‘TKD”.

Let’s read more about this young entrepreneur’s journey and story,

Tell us a little about yourself

I am a Chartered Accountant and was working for 5 years with the investment banking unit of Lodha & Co.

It’s a culmination of events that led me to quitting my regular full-time job and starting this store. Starting from having an argument with my ex boss, to badly needing my own freedom to do what I want at whichever time I want… to trying out my creative side which had been lying dormant for years… to having my own space in south Bombay… and lots more.

How did the idea of Tappu ki Dukaan come about?

South Bombay didn’t have any stores where one could buy quirky, fun, interesting and different stuff to give away as presents or to do up a house with, while at the same time ensuring that the hole in your wallet isn’t too big!

I’ve seen several stores like this in the suburbs of Bombay and abroad... and have always craved for such a store in my neighborhood.... The absence of one made me start working on this idea coupled with the fact that we had this space lying unused. 

This store doesn’t have anything you’d need, but it has everything you’ll want!

Nestled on the mezzanine level in Mumbai’s bustling Fort neighbourhood, Tappu Ki Dukaan is the latest offering for those looking for unique, fun and quirky products.   

What differentiates your products from what's available at other similar e-stores?

Tappu Ki Dukaan is a store that houses products from a pot-pourri of brands that include, Happily Unmarried, Mukul Goyal, Haathi Chhap, Pop Goes the Art, Mixed Juice Design, Neil Dantas, and Fireflies to name just a few.

At Tappu Ki Dukaan you will you find ashtrays shaped like commodes, shot glasses in cutting chai stands, pop art products, provocative and suggestive playing cards, photo frames, diaries and bookmarks make out of elephant dung and much more!

It’s a little shop with little knick knacks and a lot more is how best one could sum the experience at Tappu ki Dukaan aka Tee-K-Dee. 

When setting up, what were the initial challenges you had to overcome?

To get my family convinced that I was doing the right thing by quitting my safe, well-paying job right in the middle of recession, when people were getting laid left, right and centre to open a store, in which I had no prior experience!

Do you'll make your own products / designs? How does the inspiration for them come?

My store is a platform for design… all those youngsters and people who are gifted with talent to create something (and sometimes, something out of nothing) can very easily approach me and showcase their products through my store… we don’t have long drawn up processes and terms and conditions… just a simple test –If tappu likes your product, it stays in her dukaan.

I don’t manufacture at all currently (but do want to get into my own line of products sometime soon)…so the model is fairly simple… I source from various designers across the country and retail through my store… some are on consignment and some I purchase outright.

I have a reasonable pricing system. The price range starts at Rs. 40 and goes upto Rs. 4,000. “I want my store to cater to a segment of people who want something unique and can get it without burning a hole in their pocket. I have incorporated products that appeal to me as a consumer and I hope my customers will enjoy the mixed bag that I have created for them just as much”.

Where do you see your company and yourself professionally in the next five years?

I want to open Tappu Ki Dukaan’s all across the country, I have already been approached to open a franchisee in Bangalore and am going to start giving it a serious thought.

Leave us with a few thoughts / words of wisdom?

Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish!