Those of us who grew up in the city would have fond memories of this shop on Laxmi Road.
Those of us who grew up in the city would have fond memories of this shop on Laxmi Road. The month of June would be a time for parents and schoolchildren to head to NG Rajiwadekar to buy school and lunch bags, raincoats, umbrellas and caps.
This enterprise has its roots in the cap-manufacturing business started by Narayan Govind Rajiwadekar in 1933. He produced Gandhi topis, which were immensely popular then, along with wedding caps and the likes, and sold them at the unit, which also doubled as a shop.
In 1950, Narayan's son Manohar joined him in the business and they set up the first NG Rajiwadekar shop near Belbag Mandir on Laxmi Road. Manohar diversified the range of caps to include felt hats, sun hats and county hats (used while playing cricket). He reminisces, "When we launched the shop, there were no vendors on Laxmi Road and neither was it so crowded. There were hordes of cycles, just like we have two-wheelers now, and many taangas (horse drawn carriages) too." The business ran smoothly, and 10 years later, Manohar launched his second shop at Nagarkar Talim Chowk on Laxmi Road. He also started trading in travel goods, raincoats and school bags, which they would later be most popular for in the city.
In 1971, Manohar's sons Shridhar and Sharad joined the business, leading to the third Rajiwadekar shop opposite Jogeshwari Mandir in Appa Balwant Chowk. Shridhar says, "When my brother and I came in, canvas school bags were in demand, so we got them made according to our designs and sold them at our shops. They gave a big boost to our business. The early 80s was an era of the sacks (haversacks). We sold all kinds of sacks, from the fancy cartoon ones for small children to those for college students."
Today, besides school bags, raincoats and lunch bags, Rajiwadekar also has compass bags, men's pouches, ladies' purses, office bags, laptop bags and gloves during winters, along with caps of all kinds for all seasons.
So has the influx of malls and brand outlets in the city affected business? "Not really," says Shridhar. "Our clientele comprises people who have been coming to us for generations. Our customers are mostly middle-class people," he adds.
Eighty five-year old Manohar, who still actively looks into the business, says, "We guarantee quality in our products and promptly repair products if customers have any complaints. This has kept us going strong for the many decades." The forth generation of the Rajiwadekars, Shridhar's daughter, Apurva, who holds an MBA degree, has also joined the family enterprise. "I couldn't be happy that our entrepreneurial legacy is being continued by my granddaughter," says Manohar with a smile.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}