From Thailand, with love

Traditional pieces of furniture from Thailand in stock.

KARACHI:

With furniture exhibitions taking place right left and centre, interior decorating has turned into a serious business in the city. Whether it is new designers or the low-budget option of Chinese furniture, this is definitely a viable market.

De Oro Zara or Golden Zara is one such new place, where the owner Zohair Bhadelia offers fine quality Thai furniture. “I have brought traditional furniture which has been imported directly from Thailand,” he tells The Express Tribune.

Named after his first born, De Oro Zara is in a rented  house located near Abdullah Shah Ghazi mazar in Clifton. Rattan, rosewood and teak bed-sets and tables can be seen as one enters the shop. Also available is a huge bed made out of elephant trunk with a small lamp hanging out of it. A golden wall hanging depicting a typically Thai design and an assortment of Buddha statues are some of the pieces at the exhibition.

Bhadelia said that he carried out thorough market research in Karachi and tried his best to price the goods as economically as possible. “However, bringing the pieces all the way from Thailand obviously attaches a higher price tag to the product.”

Bhadelia brought back as many as 90 per cent of his pieces from Chiang Mai, in the north of the country. The wall hangings and Buddha statues, which he says were very hard to bring back into Pakistan, were brought all the way from Bangkok.

The smaller pieces, which include Chinese lamps, bed-side table lamps and wall candle holders, are all a significant part of the exhibition.

When asked why he chose Thai furniture, and not Indonesian or Malaysian furniture, Bhadelia replies: “I have been to Thailand thrice and every time I was particularly taken aback by their furniture. I finally made the decision to import when I was there last time in January.”

He then went on to say: “More importantly, Thai furniture attracts people more. And why shouldn’t it? People visit Thailand because it is a tourist spot and Far Eastern furniture is more in demand than anything else the world over!”

Bhadelia faced quite a few challenges as far as the shipping of these items was concerned. He gave the required 70 to 75 per cent of the custom duty and import tax. Secondly, the logistical affairs need to be handled with a lot of individual care. Bhadelia’s friend, Mana Anandsongkit, helped him with the packaging of the items and putting them in a warehouse before transporting them. “Since we travelled to Chiang Mai to obtain the goods, Anandsongkit was a big support for me.”

“During the exhibition, the smaller pieces will be sold on the spot but the larger ones will be given only when orders are placed for them.” The delivery process has been streamlined and will take a maximum of four to five weeks.

Not a lot of people were seen at the opening of the store. A confident Bhadelia, however, said: “The exhibition is going to be on for two days. The store itself, however, will be open as long as I am able to import the furniture from Thailand.”

Thanking his pillars of support, Bhadelia makes a heartfelt dedication: “With my family and friends encouraging me every step of the way, I can already see that this has been a very rewarding experience.”

Talking about this future plans, Bhadelia said: “If I get a good response from Karachi, I plan to move to Lahore and Islamabad with the next collection.”



Published in The Express Tribune, June 5^th, 2011.