With the idea of providing Mumbaikars an exposure to the finest in heritage Indian art and jewellery, Vivek Gupta has created a niche for himself
Vivek Gupta has been a part of the high street retail real estate space since a decade, catering to premium and luxury brands.
What is The Big Door all about?
The Big Door is a distinctive store that infuses Mumbai with the best of Indian jewellery, handcrafted home décor and heritage collectibles. The Big Door was born out of the idea of creating a niche with the broad realization that Mumbaikars have a limited exposure, when it comes to heritage Indian art and antiques pertaining to interior and jewellery.
How did the transition from the real estate space to the arts happen?
It started a few years ago when I moved from Delhi to Mumbai. In a quest to do up the interiors of my home, I went scouting for conversation pieces from every luxury interiors store in the city to the quaint shops in lesser- known by-lanes. None of the stores we visited were impressive in terms of the look and layout. With the experience of providing retail space to some of the most recognised international brands in Mumbai, combined with my zest for heritage pieces, I gradually moved to offering the finest in Indian art.
How does the design sensibilities of your better half, Sunita Gupta, play into The Big Door?
The Big Door's jewellery line is a collaboration of Sunita's design sensibilities with Ravi Ajmera's decades of experience in fine jewellery. The idea is to offer heirlooms to our clients, jewellery that can be passed onto generations to come. Ravi Gems and Jewellery is eponymously named after Ravi Ajmera, who hails from a family with over three generations of experience in the craft of fine jewellery. Among other things, Ravi and Sunita have met the royal families of Rajasthan as well as their court jewellers to understand original designs and techniques.
Tell us a little about the jewellery available at The Big Door.
We want everyone to own a piece of art. The collections have been worked upon in a manner to suit the sensibilities of different people from all walks of life, making it more wearable. Ranging from precious and semi-precious jewellery, set in gold, silver and silver-gold plating, to Victorian pieces, each of these mesmerizing creations is unique and design oriented. The collection has contemporary statement pieces along with Mughal, Nizam and Rajput inspired jewels.
Where do you see The Big Door headed in the next five years?
With a beautifully designed layout showcasing various categories, we aspire to be a destination store for people from all walks of life, and multiply the number of stores across the country and create a valuable brand. We plan to establish 3-4 stores across India. In the future, we plan to take The Big Door as a concept store to every continent.
—As told to Shraddha Shirodkar
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