From Immigrants to Americans: A Proud 3rd Generation Family Business Legacy
My grandfather was an immigrant from a small village of India near Meerut. He came to Connecticut in the early 1970s with my young grandmother. He worked at a hospital as a dedicated, hard-working respiratory therapist. My grandfather soon realized he needed to establish a side business to keep up with the expenses of a growing family. Collaborating with relatives in India, he registered his business, Rahman Imports, selling hand-knotted Persian designed oriental rugs in wool and silk from this humble rental duplex in East Hartford, Connecticut in 1983.
The unique one of a kind, handmade rugs were well liked by his clientele. He sold Persian designs, Chinese, Bukhara and Pakistani rugs. The popularity of his products encouraged him to add other forms of artistic home decor to his inventory.
He made a business trip back to India in 1985 where he explored the artisan markets of the Taj Mahal City of Agra to Jaipur and to Moradabad. It was in Muradabad where my grandfather found his next line of products—handmade embossed enamel brass vases, floor lamps, planters and candlesticks.
He was honored to bring the artistic traditions and royal heritage displayed in Mughal king courts to Americans who would otherwise not have encountered such gems. These unique and intricate gift and home decoration items were enthusiastically sold at local trade shows in Connecticut.
After moving up to Glastonbury, Connecticut, my grandparents witnessed a slow-down in sales for these luxury items during the early 1990s recession.
My grandmother decided to open her subsidiary clothing line of ethnic modest Indian dresses for American buyers. In 1994, she and my mother launched Modesty Catalog, printing and mailing their first full color catalog, before internet sales came into existence. She sold traditional dresses and hijabs from India, Pakistan, Malaysia, Arabia, Turkey and Morocco.
The old-fashioned catalog telephone and mail orders became popular among women and men who were searching for ethnic modest loose clothing. The business is still in operation today as www.modestycatalog.com
Carrying on the Family Business through the Copper Water Bottle
Fast forward to today, we three brothers launched our own ecommerce business based in Virginia, Friendly Planet llc. We sell products mostly in the space of promoting active health-conscience lifestyles for people and pets. Even though we brothers are implementing modern approaches and selling a broader range of products, we wanted to maintain that legacy that our grandfather started 40 years ago. Hence, we incorporated the Hand-Hammered Copper Water Bottle into our signature line of products. Our internet search journey took us back to the place of manufacturing, Moradabad India. These copper water bottles are environmentally friendly, reducing the use of plastic bottles. Our drinking water becomes “mineralized” with copper ions, enhancing our health and vitality. Copper water bottles are available in both contemporary and traditional designs.
Copper Water Bottles — Better for our Health — Better for the Environment
