A small provision store in the interiors of Pulianthope, Chennai is home to Jothi Kumari, a 39 year old mother of two young boys. A very vibrant and cheerful woman who is a first generation shopkeeper, tells us about the struggles she’s had to face to set this store up. Being a highschool dropout herself, Jothi wanted to at least give her children the gift of education.
It was at that time that she and her husband jointly planned on opening a small provision store.Equitas bank was happy to partner in her growth with the first loan for her to start JP Fancy store. It has been 5 years now and she has progressively made significant changes in the store which wiped off her initial hassles. With the first term loan, she got a shop space and accumulated supplies. Her only worries were that she didn’t have a refrigerator to preserve all the goods that she procured.
By the time she got her second loan, she was a little confident to run the store and got in touch with wholesale dealers for her supplies. On receiving better profits and recognition, she bought a new fridge. Recently, she has upgraded to a freezer storage as well. She says “Equitas bank has been helping me at every stage of my business and my family is now able to live happily without having to worry about a roof above their head or their next meal.
”Being a very considerate person, Jothi usually sells her products at a discounted price than the MRP. Even without an access to formal education, her spirit and confidence to emerge as an independent woman in the society remains intact.
