Talented Milton Keynes woman uses inspiration from her humble roots in India to form successful homewares business

An MK woman has used her roots from her humble childhood home at the foot of the Himalayas to launch a highly successful homewares business.

One of Pallavi Ghosh’s favourite memories has always been eating mango from a simple wooden bowl that her mother bought from a roadside artisan.

"I’ll never forget the weight of that bowl in my hands….the sun warming my face, the scent of blossoms in the air,” she says.

“I came from a humble, Indian home in Uttarakhand in the green foothills of the Himalayas. My father was an engineer, my mother was a homemaker; they raised me to cherish people and nature. But it was my mum who stirred my love for hand crafted, artisan homewares.”

Pallavi went to college and started her career in luxury hotels before moving with trepidation to London when she was in her twenties.

She joined Liberty of London, and, with her eyes opened to the world of global art and design, she was thrilled to find the store selling some of the artisan decor that brought back memories of her Indian home.

When she married and started a family, her home became her sanctuary and she filled it with handcrafted items that reminded her of her childhood.

"Becoming a mother, I thought about my children’s future and the need to protect our planet...As my love for interior design grew, I became a seeker of homewares that honoured people and planet,” she said.

Pallavi began sharing her treasures as gifts to my friends and family. Finally, in April 2021, she launched her own online artisan homewares business called Anav, selling handcrafted items from all over the world.

Her range includes everything from cultery and chopping boards to baskets and bowls, all made with love.

“I want you to catch your breath when you hold your purchase from Anav. I want you to know that it was made and packaged with love and care,” she said.

Pallavi launched Anav with a loan of £19,000 from British Business Bank. Now her company is doing so well that she has this week been named as South East Ambassador for the Start Up Loans programme.

She was selected because “she embodies the can-do mindset it takes to make a start-up successful”, says the company.

The funding for the Start Up Loans programme is provided by the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) and since its inception in 2012, it has delivered more than 105,000 loans to business owners across the UK

Richard Bearman, managing director of Start Up Loans, said: “Pallavi is an excellent example of a business owner who has continued to utilise the additional support available via the programme and is still collaborating with her mentor. I am so pleased..”

Pallavi Ghosh and the other 2023 Ambassadors will be introduced at an event in London that kick-starts a year-long programme, which will see them take part in a series of local and national activities, helping inspire and encourage other aspiring start-up founders.

You can follow her company on Instagram here or Facebook here.