We Indians did not really have a concept of interiors – or that matter furniture. It was the British who brought with them their style of living and few Indians who were lucky enough to visit their homes had a glimpse of drawing, dining, bedrooms, attached toilets and son on and so forth. And they were pretty contemptuous about it. Why eat at a table when one could sit on the floor? Indians, except the zamindary class, carried on as they did, without giving the way of living much thought.

But things started changing. With individualism creeping in, individual members started moving out to the newly constructed flats. However, even this did not change things much.

Life, though, moves on. And with it lifestyles. New style furniture shops started coming offering new concepts in furniture. For example, box beds instead of the traditional bedsteads. Even then, things started moving with the building boom and the rise in income of the intermediate classes. All of a sudden, furniture became a projection of the self. One was judged not only by the way one lived by ones choice of furniture. The quality furniture store started making its mark.

Now there is a plethora of furniture stores. On our own we started a survey. And we dint have to go far! Just off Topsia Road, on a nondescriptive lane stood S. T. Unicom headed by Mr. Navin P. Kanodia. WE strolled in not expecting something spectacular .And we were stunned. Eight thousand sq. ft. of space was packed with furniture which can only be described as out of this world. Intrigued, we decided to meet Mr. Navin P. Kanodia who is as cordial as one can get.

He informed us that they were 14 years into business. Starting as exporters they went into retail. It was not with a touch of pride that Mr. Kanodia said that they revolutionized the wrought iron industry which was previously used for gardens only. Pumping in international technology they moved wrought iron, from outside to inside. Here S. T. Unicom were pioneers. The emporium which started with 600 sq. ft. now occupied 8,000 sq. ft. and there are plans of expansion to 20,000 sq. ft. Mr. Kanodia informed that he interacted with clients. HE asked them the size of their rooms and how these were situated and how they lived. For all these decided on what kind of furniture would suit the client. According to him most people did not know what to buy –they merely had a budget and nebulous ideas. These nebulous ideas take shape in S. T. Unicom.

The emporium is visited by people from all classes of life. Mr. Kanodia is positive when he says that innovation was very important. India is a vast country and every part is different. Customers in Bengal have particular preferences and this has to be kept in mind. The emporium depends on word of mouth publicity. One satisfied customer brings in another. And then there is personalized service no matter how small the budget is.

As we stated before, S. T. Unicom is into exports since 1994 but are of late concentrating on the domestic market. And the domestic market is impressed with the styled blended as they are with imported inputs. The emporium offers complete home solutions. For example, they have special packages like a “Marriage Package” priced at Rs. 28,500/-

What impresses one is the number of accessories on display. These are very tasteful and decorative. One may call them knick-knacks but these certainly enhance the tone of a room. The models of vintage cars are a treat to see.

Mr. Kanodia motto is “Drop in once”. To which we may add, “Drop in and come away satisfied.”