Something bright seems to be nearing the coast of Kochi as we enter the thick of the year. Accurately christened All Things Bright, this flea market is going to be in town only in September, but word has already begun to spread, making flea enthusiasts ready and waiting for their entrepreneurial bounty. Founded by best friends Merin Varghese and Chinnu Treesa Paul, All Things Bright was first introduced at the Cochin Gymkhana. "We were both pretty deep on the road of entrepreneurship," explains Merin, adding, "And what brought us together was the idea of travelling."
The idea of setting up a travelling flea market was pretty close to their hearts when the pair set up their idea. Merin explains the concept, "When we call this a travelling flea market, we don't just mean travelling from Kochi to Kottayam or within just Kerala. We want to take this initiative to other big cities like Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad. In fact, we were deeply influenced by the idea of Soul Sante and how it caters to creators and artists from all across the country." Right now, the two are happy with the idea of setting up a base in Cochin and to start exploring their options from there once people start to recognise the work.
Merin adds, "What we've set up is exclusively for entrepreneurs who are making their way into the industry. We don't want to be a platform just for entrepreneurs who are already familiar names in the industry, we want it to be a place from where newer artists and businesses find their voices." She adds hastily, "And it's for everyone! We had noticed that events such as flea markets have been reduced to a 'female only' status in Kochi. We want all sorts of products involved and make it more colourful that way."
For the previous edition, the duo's first flea, they did not have a proper brand formed as they were only starting out. Only home-based entrepreneurs were involved when the pair were just starting out. For this second edition, since it had become much bigger than even they had anticipated, they are dividing the market into two segments. The first segment will be allocated to entrepreneurs who have an established name and are already famous in their own right. The second will exclusively feature up and coming businesses and artists.
What sets this edition apart will be that a green tint will be the brightest light to shine during the flea. The founders have decided to go eco-friendly by gifting over 5000 free saplings to their customers. In addition to this, they also plan on focusing on selling a majority of recycled and reused products. The event itself will be set up using eco-friendly products as the event decides to embrace mother nature this time around.
