The handloom and handicraft stores in the city run by NGOs managed to stay afloat through the pandemic but only just. Now, they are back in business with their shutters up for regular hours. With fresh merchandise from their crafts communities, they are planning exhibitions for their clientele to get the touch, feel, buy experience.

During the pandemic, the stores took tentative steps towards digitisation through WhatsApp and Facebook but have a long way to go in terms of ecommerce.

Kamala, the shop of the Craft Council of India in the city, named after one of the most illustrious patrons of Indian craft, Kamala Devi Chattopadhyay, kicked off the season with a winter exhibition from December 3.

Kasturi Menon, the erstwhile Handloom Development Commissioner who looks after the store, is trying her best to revive the flagging sales.

“We used to have four events in a year. The first was the Poila Baisakh event which was a complete wash out this year. Then in July, there would be a lifestyle exhibition called Patra where we had functional craft items. For the Puja exhibition, it was just saris from all over the country. And finally the winter exhibition where we would get shawls from Kulu, board games for children during Christmas,” said Menon.

Durga Puja this year yielded a sale of Rs 4 lakh as against Rs 17 lakh last year.

“We reopened in July, in August we went online, we had a professional photographer take pictures of the store, of the items which were posted on Facebook and also on our customers’ WhatsApp group. Through August, September, October we had sales of Rs 4 lakh and about but then sales have again dipped in November,” said a worried Menon. “Unless sales pick up during the exhibition, we are in trouble.”

Bags at Kamala, the Craft Council of India shop

Bengal Home Industries Association, an over 100-year-old institution founded by Gaganendrnath Thakur, shut shop on March 20 and re-opened only on June 20. Compared to preCovid times, the shop has lost 75 per cent of its business, said Shankar Bose of BHIA.

When asked if the clientele was back, Bose said: “Some of them visited the store before Puja and Diwali but now again we are witnessing a dip in business.”

The association is launching an ecommerce enabled website. “Our ecommerce project is in the beta stage, with content uploaded and logistics contracts in place and is undergoing final trials before a rollout scheduled before the year end,” said Bose.

Artisana, a shop of the Crafts Council of West Bengal witnessed zero sales this puja though it has been open since August for four days a week for several hours. Located in Bhowanipore, Artisana probably lost out on sales because it was right in the middle of a containment zone.

There was some business during Diwali for about Rs 50,000, with terracotta lights done by one of its potters being the largest draw. Some amount of overseas consignments worth around Rs 75,000 have been sent through October and November on order from some of its regular international clientele.

“We will be launching our ecommerce site and hope to recover sales once its up,” said Anjum Katyal of Crafts Council.

Products at Artisana, the Craft Council of West Bengal shop