Daijiworld Media Network - Business Desk
Mangalore, Dec 12: Digital revolution is sweeping across the globe changing everything everywhere and Mangalore is no exception. Though the port city Mangalore has witnessed rapid progress in the last two decades there are certain things typical Mangalorean that connect us with the past and with the present giving us that nostalgic feeling. “Favourite Collections”, situated in the heart of Bendoor Well, which is celebrating its silver jubilee on December 12, can certainly take credit of being the bridge that connects the recent past and the present and for being a witness to that metamorphosis of Mangalore from a traditional small city into a cosmopolitan Tier II city of Karnataka.
Proprietor of Favourite Collections Edwin C Cutinho, recalls gleefully the mid 80’s, the period prior to the advent of computers, CD’s, mobiles and internet in Mangalore, when people used to frequent his shop for buying gift items, greeting cards, toys, music and other sundry items which the student community and the young crowd was looking for. Since then he has come a long way, keeping pace with the growth of the city, witnessing the transforming and withstanding the onslaught of ICT i. e. information and communication technology and along with that changes in tastes and preferences of his clientele.
Cuntinho has always been receptive to these changes in preferences of people and as a result has been able to have a strong support base of loyal customers, a few who are as old as his shop and some who swear by his shop and the repertoire of exclusive items they are able to get here. Never mind the economy which is in shambles or the digital revolution, “Favourite Collections”, has been able to retain its share of business due to the patronage of the loyal customers and the steady flow of young and yuppie crowd, especially the student community, who are also on the lookout for something trendy and exclusive, either in terms of cards or gift items.
It is not difficult to posit for a discerning mind to know what makes “Favourite Collections”, a favorite among customers. To put it in the words of Cutinho “It is the treatment we accord to the customers which makes them come to us again and again. We are able to give to our customers a good product at logical and reasonable rates. Commitment to our customers is the key to our success”.
Cutinoho recalls that some of his loyal customers (that includes many daijiworld readers) who are settled in far away countries like Canada, America, Africa or are now working in gulf countries were his customers during their student days and many of them visit his shop whenever they come to Mangalore on holidays. This speaks volumes about the personal and business relations Cutinho has been able to maintain with his customers. Of course, it can be said that the relationship does not stem from the business perspective alone. It is a genuine and spontaneous feeling towards the customers, a trait of Edwin’s personality, which has served him well in his business.
It was in 1986 Cutinho, who hails from Mermajal, Vamanjoor, decided to come down from Kuwait for good, having served there for nearly 11 years.
His kids who were born in 1981 and 82 were of the right age to join school and he thought it best to come down to his native Mangalore and give them a good foundation for education in Mangalore and also to start a business for a livelihood. A chance visit to Satyam Collections during his trip to Mumbai the same year had him thinking to start a business dealing with greeting cards and gift items, he says. “Greeting cards were the in-thing in the mid 80’s when there was no other means of communication unlike today and it was a good decision those days. There were no exclusive shops for greeting cards and we filled that vacuum”, recalls Cutinho. Greetings cards carried and conveyed those tender messages to the loved ones in a special way, be it from children to the parents or from young lovers. There was personal touch to it.
With the mushrooming of many medical and engineering colleges in and around Mangalore, Favourite Collections became the favorite hunting ground for cards and gift items for the young crowd and the business boomed. Favourite Collections had everything under its roof and the tagline in its paper covers and carry bags reads “one stopping shopping spot” for audio, video cassettes CD’s, greeting cards, gifts and stationary.
Somehow the transition from an Administrative Manager in Kuwait into a self-employed businessperson in Mangalore was not a difficult one for Cutinho, though the first year into business was a testing period for him. Favourite Collections had an array of collections of gift items, greeting cards, soft toys, fashion accessories, household accessories, stationary items, show pieces, religious artifacts, cassettes, music related accessories, collector’s items like coins and stamps and many other exclusive items which found takers from people of all ages and from different economic strata.
The firm was able to break even only after the 1st year and within a year i. e in 1987 Cutinho along with two other partners Melwyn Serrao and Alwyn Suares opened another shop “Favourite Enterprises” in the same building, downstairs. It was a video library shop and took off really well.
Cutinho recalls that those days during weekends his shop was renting out 1500 to 2000 video cassettes on a 24-hour rental basis. “Those were the days when people did not have too many conduits of entertainment. There was only Doordarshan and radio and Hindi Cinema was also not marketed well in Mangalore and we were able to cater to the entertainment needs of the people at this opportune moment”, says Edwin Cutinho talking about the instant success of his second venture. The partnership continued with the setting up of another shop “Favourite Presents” that dealt exclusively with music and music-related accessories. Again it was the craze for Western songs among the student community that gave a boost to the sale of cassettes and unlike today there was no other means of listening to the songs of their favorite singers.
The partnerships are since dissolved and Edwin Cutinho carries on the show all alone with his committed employees. Though there is a drastic reduction in the sale of greeting cards Cutinho says there are some die hard card fans that frequent his shop to buy cards regularly and keep the trend alive. “I have a lot of people who are 50 plus as my regular customers who have a penchant for buying and sending cards”, Cutinho declares. However, the decline in demand for cards has obviated the need to deviate towards fast moving and latest fancy and electronic items and toys and true to its tag line it offers a wide array of choice of gifts and other items for the customers to choose from. Edwin gets his stock from Bangalore and depending on the demands he stockpiles the items. Needless to say, he keeps an eye on the latest trends in the market also so as not to disappoint his customers.
At 60, Cutinho carries on the business with the same fervor and inexorable energy that brought the Favourite Collections to the level it has come to occupy today. He says it has taken lot of hard work, dedication, commitment and sacrifice to come to the present position his shop has come to occupy. It is heartening to note that he carries on with the job with the same enthusiasm and passion with which he started on 25 years back. Edwin Cutinho does not forget to thank his supporters and critics who he says were singularly responsible for his success all these years. It was, however, his family wife Grace, son Ernest and daughter Anne, who have been largely responsible for his success.
On this occasion of Favourite Collection’s silver jubilee celebrations one can only wish him more energy and the strength to serve with the same dedication and appetence and go on to celebrate the golden jubilee celebrations of Favourite Collections, keeping pace with the city’s progress.
Contact:
Favorite Collections
Bendorwell, Mangalore – 575 002.
Ph.: 0824-4257029, 9845022294, 9845210790
Email: egcutinho@yahoo.co.in