Business & Tech

Swampscott Couple's Home Decor Company Opens Online

The couple share an abiding interest in home fashion. See their story in a Q & A interview below.

 

The Swampscott couple have an eye and passion for home decor.

So much so that they just launched an online business, Banarsi Designs.

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Their website, compatible with social media outlets such as Pinterest, has the added attraction of allowing users to share ideas and photographs.

The business owners bring their sense of style to home décor. Designs have been embroidered, beaded or painted by hand.

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Banarsi prides itself in offering merchandise unavailable anywhere else. 

We recently caught up with the couple for a business Q & A on their new venture.

1) What motivated you to start your online business?

The motivation to start our business really came unexpectedly during our vacation trip to Dubai in March 2012. While spending a week there, my wife and I discovered a store close to our hotel which sold a huge variety of beautiful textile and decor products like we've never seen before in the USA. We were simply amazed and speechless at the level of beauty and the great variety of colors and designs we saw. We became friends with the store owner and discovered that all of the products come from their manufacturing facility in India, with many of them crafted by hand. We began having discussions with the owner, and imagining how great it would be to offer these products in the states due to their unique features and characteristics. One day prior to our departure back to Boston, a deal was finalized to bring back over 900 products with us. Soon after we got at home, we were very excited about this project and began brainstorming many different ideas on how we were going to turn this vision into a reality. Within 6 months we spent very long days and nights building our brand. We officially launched and opened our website http://www.banarsidesigns.com to the public on October 4th and are excited for the road ahead. Our full story can be found by visiting http://www.banarsidesigns.com/our-story

2) Do you have interest in opening a physical store in Swampscott?

One day - absolutely! We like to think big and we believe in our products and in what we have built over the past 6 months. With that said, while we do not currently have a physical store in Swampscott, we are more than happy to arrange a visit to anyone around the area to show our products. Besides the online website, our other main focus is to cater to businesses such as restaurants, hotels, event planners, and individuals who are planning special events. Our products can be customized to fit the needs of our customers for every occasion to create memorable experiences.

3) What is your background in home decor?

I have a great passion for interior decorating. In fact, when I first purchased my house 6 years ago in Swampscott, I dedicated a lot of time towards renovation and transforming every single detail of every room with unique fabrics, furnishings, and interior decorations. When you are renovating or decorating your home, it is important to be original, unique, and creative. Our surroundings reflect our personalities.

I always loved exploring stores that are less known to discover new ideas and find rarer items. It is always rewarding to uncover something beautiful and different.

On the other hand, my wife Yuli has a great skill for color coordination when it comes to interior design. She believes that originality is a characteristic that allows you to express yourself in your own unique way.

4) Tell us a little about yourself? How long have you lived in Swampscott? What are your interests? Education? Basic bio stuff. 

Pavel’s Bio: I was born in Grodno, Belarus and immigrated to the United States when I was 9 years old. I went to both Swampscott middle school and high school up until my senior year. My college years were spent in Rhode Island, where I graduated with a degree in Computer Information Systems from New England Institute of Technology.

At the moment, it is a balance of two jobs for me with one role being an online marketing specialist for an advertising agency in Boston, and the other role focusing on our new brand, Banarsi Designs.

My first business experience was during my high school years by marketing and selling my favorite mixtapes online. During college, I continued to dedicate a lot of my free time towards building a network of successful online properties by learning how to drive visitors to websites I had established, which allowed me to work independently on my own time.  

My career path expanded professionally into working with a variety of Fortune 500 companies in the entertainment, gaming, and pharmaceutical industries. Over the past 8 years I have worked in the advertising industry. .

Yuli’s bio: I am originally from Bogota, Colombia. I came to the USA in 2007 to work, study and improve my English skills. During my time living here, I met Pavel, whom I dated for close to a year.

In 2009, I returned back to my country to continue my studies, but as a surprise, Pavel traveled to Colombia to visit me with a wedding proposal which I enthusiastically accepted. 

It has been two years since we got married in which we have spent great time working together to accomplish our goals and enjoying being newlyweds. Our journey together to Dubai in March led us on an exciting road ahead into the Home Décor industry with the launch of Banarsi Designs. While working on this project, I also have a full time job working at a health care agency and I am continuing to pursue my nursing degree.

On our free time, we like traveling, exploring different parts of the world, going to the movies, restaurants, and enjoying fun activities such as jet skiing during summer, skydiving, parasailing, whitewater rafting, and biking. We like dancing and music as well.

To see or order Banarsi merchandise visit their website  http://www.banarsidesigns.com/


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