Daijiworld Media Network - Business

Mangaluru, Aug 2: When Leslie Rego had decided to get into business than to go to the gulf like his peers in search of greener pastures, he had not dreamt that he would strike it big in business. In 1996 when the only ‘capital’ he had was passion for starting his own business, Leslie took the risk and plunged into it wholeheartedly never to look back. He started "Joss Marketing" in Jeppu in 1996 which dealt with home appliances and rubber mats. 20 years down the line and Leslie Rego is the happiest man and has the last laugh and he has reason to look back with satisfaction. Today, the "Mat Shop", the offshoot of Joss Marketing, which was established in 2004, has emerged as an important destination for the humble ‘mat’ that occupies an essential place in every household. Leslie’s journey of graduating from ‘The Mat Shop’ to a spacious extended counter ‘home shop’ is the living example to show that sky is the limit when it comes to following ones passion with due diligence and with passion unlimited.

Having carved a niche as the one and only destination in Mangaluru for mats and carpets Leslie and his "Mat Shop" has now gone a step further and expanded his business with an extended "Home Shop" which was blessed on July 2, 2017. Incidentally, the setting up of Home Shop coincides with the completion of 20 years in business for Leslie and Co, and is a perfect way to celebrate 2 successful decades in business. The basic idea behind the extended Home Shop he says "is to provide all interiors under one roof so that customers don’t have to run from pillar to post scouting for different items in different places."

Interiors – A Style Statement

Home Shop is an exclusive counter that caters to all the needs of interiors such as curtains, blinds, bed linen, bath linen, table linen, wardrobe accessories, bath sets and variety of mattresses, quilts, cushions and comforters. These days there is a growing awareness among people about interiors and people want their homes to stand out with quality and exclusive interiors to perfectly match their standard of living. Having good interiors has caught the fancy of people as it is another way of making a style statement. Needless to say, Home Shop will be the ideal choice of people to fulfill their dreams and desires of having perfect interiors to their homes to match their lifestyles. The shop deals with some leading brands in the business such as Obsessions, Duro Turf, Hego, Reveira, ReLeve, Top Floor, Florista, DC Tex, D Décor, Vijay Tex, My Home and Krono Original. Availability of major brands gives customers a choice to pick up their favourite brands from among the enormous collection.

With zero experience in business only the gut feeling to follow his passion made Leslie get into the unusual business of dealing with mats and carpets. After completing his B Com and PG DBM from St Aloysius College he started his career working for a cooperative bank in Mangaluru. The idea of starting the mat business was fuelled when he stumbled upon a lucky opportunity to attend a business seminar in Chennai. "In Chennai I happened to visit a famous store Jacob and Co which is specialized in interior articles like mats, carpets and floorings. I was impressed looking at the enormous collection and the idea got embedded in my mind. This visit to the store inspired me helping me make a foray into the business in a big way", Leslie recalls nostalgically.

Exclusive Mat Shop – A First in Mangaluru

In 2004 he started "The Mat Shop" at Falnir, the first of its kind of store in Mangaluru which dealt exclusively with door mats, carpets and floor articles. The store organized carpet exhibitions and participated in other exhibitions from time to time and slowly began to gain recognition and popularity. Going a step further, The Mat Shop took up the distribution of Time Technoplast Ltd., a leading Indian brand dealing with PVC and Polymer mats. By now The Mat Shop had made its presence felt.

With the shop getting popular it was shifted to a spacious and exclusive show room in the heart of the city at Hotel Gold Finch Complex. Over the years with a specialized counter for door mats, carpets and runners of some of the best brands and armed with an experienced and expert team for stitching and laying, The Mat Shop has become the complete and perfect destination for builders, architects and interior designers who flock to it for bulk purchases. As Leslie puts it, "Apart from having exclusive collection of floor articles, we have a team of expert staff who are adept in providing a flawless finish for vinyl, wooden and sports flooring, which is our core strength. It also has an experienced team of tailors and installers to attend to all the needs of the customers and also provide after sales service. The extention counter "Home Shop" has now come to be recognized as the one stop shop for all that customers look for to embellish their homes. This is what sets us apart from the rest in the field." The Mast Shop and Home Shop with wallpapers becoming a fad Leslie and Co, decided to keep an exclusive collection of wallpapers of diverse tastes and designs to cater to that segment of customers.

Leslie contends that when it comes to furnishings and laying it is prudent to depend on local people who are easily available as and when the need arises and hence their role is very important in interior decorations. "We target the growing middle class who have disposable income to spend to furnish their homes. Mangaluru is growing at rapid strides and so is the taste of the people which is changing with every passing stage. We also get lot of people and interior decorators who come to us from nearby districts and taluks." Leslie further adds: "Today interior decoration has gained importance and people who spend say about Rs one crore for constructing their homes spend an equal amount on interiors. Needless to say there is an increasing demand for interior articles and items and both pricing and quality plays a crucial role in catering to the needs of the customers. We proudly say that despite our exclusivity we have priced our items reasonably without compromising on the quality."

Perfect Partners

With wife Blossom playing the role of a perfect partner even in running the business Leslie has been able to expand his business effortlessly and simultaneously and also concentrate on assorted activities doing full justice to his enormous talent and interests in diverse fields. Leslie gives full credit to Blossom for managing the business aptly especially during his absence. Blossom says she learnt the rudiments of business after she got fully involved in the business in the last ten years. She now feels she has become a seasoned business woman capable of handling any exigencies that may arise.

It has been a great going for the husband-wife duo who spare no stone unturned to live up to the expectations of the customers and have been making efforts to add exclusive collection to their existing stock of interior articles The shop has major builders, institutions, hospitals, corporate offices and industries as their prized customers, in addition to individual customers. Blossom puts it succinctly "our customers are our backbone and we treat even a small customer with due respect. We feel it is our responsibility to guide and provide quality items to customers who have reposed their faith in us."

Contact:

Leslie N Rego
The Mat Shop
0091 824 4281897
Mob: 919845086818
Email: leslierego6@gmail.com / lesgo6@rediffmail.com