Celebrating Life
Raave’s Evergreen Christmas Tree in its Silver Jubilee year!
Raave’s Evergreen Christmas Tree and Decoration that make its presence felt on Hill Road, Bandra, every year are in its Silver Jubilee year!
By Vanasri Sridhar | Opening Doorz Editorial | December 16, 2021
“All I want for Christmas is to spread the spirit and happiness and joy around India during the holiday season!” says Victor Tasan the owner of Raave’s Evergreen Christmas Tree and Decorations. Based in Chennai, India, Raave’s is a store that is a Christmas dream come true for people living in India and abroad too. Their decorations are ‘yummy’ and they take great pride in being known for selling the best Christmas Trees in Bandra, Mumbai.
Every year, a month before Christmas, his regular customers keep calling him if he will be in the city, and he has never failed to come to Mumbai since 1998. From Norway pine tree to French pine to sparkly ornaments, Raave’s has it all. You will find this set-up every year between Elcos and Reliance Mall on Hill Roda, Bandra.
Having started his business in 1997, Victor has come a long way from selling his products in Chennai to expand his business all over India and Internationally. “I get very good reviews from my customers. They say my trees bring them a fortune!” he laughs. One will find tree ornaments and eye-catching Christmas decorations at his store.
Opening Doorz to Raave’s Evergreen Christmas Tree and Decorations who are in the Silver Jubilee year of their business.
Excerpts:
What got you into Christmas Decorations?
We felt Christmas décor should reach everyone’s home so we decided to sell Christmas trees and ornaments. This is the sole reason we began selling our decorations around India and abroad too. We have been in this business in Chennai since 1997. This year marks the 25th year of being in this business.
Are you into any other business apart from this?
Apart from selling Christmas Trees, we are in the import and export business. We export Christmas Trees to countries like United States of America, The United Kingdom and Canada too.
What is the USP of Raave’s?
Our USP is our Christmas Trees. They are produced in our factory in Taiwan and then exported to the US, Canada and UK. Our Needle Pine and French Pine Trees are our speciality. They are always in demand.
How many years have you been coming to Mumbai?
The very next year, after we began in 1997. The next year (1998) I wanted to expand my business away from home and Mumbai was the destination I chose. Hill Road in Bandra, sees plenty of customers every day It has been 23 years since we have come to Mumbai and every year has been a delight.
Which are the other cities you are going to and which month do you start your Christmas sale?
We also sell in states like Pune, Goa, Chennai, Bengaluru and Kerala. Every year, we begin our sales by November 24 and go on till December 24. We also keep special schemes every year. For eg, this year customers get 20 per cent off on ornaments and 10 off on Christmas Trees.
Do you have repeat clientele? And what is your mode of marketing?
Every year we have a bunch of regular customers visiting us. They eagerly wait to buy decorations and Christmas Trees from us. Earlier, our advertisement style would be word of mouth but thanks to the power of social media, we advertise on Instagram and if that’s not enough, we have a website too! The website has all the information about us.
What is the one thing that comes to your mind which a client might have said to you?
Our customers are always happy to shop from us. We get to hear reviews like the quality of our trees match the quality of trees you get abroad and in fact, someone even said that our trees brought them a fortune! So if you buy our trees it doesn’t only solve the purpose of having a tree but also brings luck. [laughs].
How has the pandemic affected your business?
The pandemic spread like wildfire and like the way every other business that faced problems, we too faced some. Our sales went low and we had a few ups and downs in our import and export. But everything seems hunky-dory now and we hope to get back to usual this year.
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