Anyam Konyak wants to expand her home-based shoe making business but how?
Morung Express News
Dimapur | September 11
Now, here is a woman from Nagaland who can really crochet some funky, comfortable and durable footwear. Anyam Julie Konyak’s crochet shoes, sandals and flats, especially for women and children are making waves in Mon town, which The Morung Express discovered through one of the social media networking sites.
What actually started as a leisurely activity during her spare time, Anyam’s crafty hobby is now actually raking in revenues for her family. A mother of one, Anyam resides with her family near Fire Brigade, Mon Town.
“It all began as a sort of time-pass for me. When family members and friends noticed and started ordering for the shoes, I started making it in a regular basis, she told The Morung Express.
Now, for the last two years, Anyam’s hobby has transited into a home based business enterprise. It is not actually getting her rich, but it supplements her family income.
Anyam said she had a knack for knitting and sewing since childhood. “I used to knit a lot and also mend old shoes. Then I started knitting socks and wool shoes for personal use,” she recalled.
Gradually, her skill graduated to crocheting footwear. With no formal training Anyam learnt her craft through trial and error process and become efficient enough for other people to notice.
Motivation from family and friends also helped her a lot. “I became more enthused when friends and family members started appreciating my products. This motivated me to learn more by observing trends in shops as well as other platforms,” she said.
Now, Anyam can dexterously make boots, shoes, sandals, slip on and bags with different patterns. Uninterrupted, she make 2-3 shoes a day. The sandal and slip on are crocheted with elastic string thread, which, according to Anyam, is durable and waterproof.
Most of the footwear are sold at price ranging between Rs 300-500. However, boots are more expensive and can be priced upto Rs 1500. “Making boots is more difficult as it involves getting soles material, cutting and polishing them as well as aligning them to various shapes and designs,” she explained.
For Anyam, at the end of the day, the happiest moment is when a satisfied costumer comes calling, which motivates her more to experiment more and diversify her products. The response has been positive so far.
“Even those who were little apprehensive about the boots later told me that it is worth the price, given the amount of woks it entails and the comfort and durability it gives,” she claimed.
Presently, she has begun dabbling in mobile sling bags.
On the prospect of establishing a shop to sell her products, Anyam said she simply cannot afford the investment. “Though my husband is employed in a government department, what we earn can barely meet our personal expenses,” she revealed.
Anyam is also unaware if there are any policies or schemes from the government side to assist people like her. “If the government has some kind of policies or initiative to support such project as mine, it would really be good to know,” she said.
“It would really be nice to open a shop or sell my product through a regular channel so it becomes a regular source of income for me,” she wished aloud, pensively.
