How Kusumlata Singh Built a Home-Based Boutique in Balrampur

Kusumlata Singh, a home-based entrepreneur from Mansapuri Colony in Balrampur, Uttar Pradesh, has built a steady tailoring and design business around neighbourhood demand and custom orders. The founder and proprietor of her boutique says she began stitching professionally around 2012-13, after learning the craft in 2005, and has since specialised in blouses, petticoats, kurtas, fancy dresses, and lehengas for local clients.

Building a boutique around community demand

Kusumlata first took formal classes in Siddharthnagar in 2005, where she learned embroidery, sewing, and basic fabric painting. She initially worked from home, then shifted to a stall in a local marketplace known as Kalithan as orders grew. She sources raw materials herself, discusses designs with customers, and then cuts and stitches to measurement. Word of mouth has been her primary marketing channel, she says, and repeat orders from satisfied families have helped stabilise income.

Pandemic setback and a pivot to home

Unfortunately, COVID-19 disrupted foot traffic, forcing many small retailers to shut their doors. Kusumlata recalls that she had to give up the rented outlet when movement restrictions hit and quickly returned to a home-based model. Thankfully, existing customers followed her, and new clients, too began visiting the home workshop as confidence returned. The business supports a family of five, she says, with her husband also earning and three young children currently in school.

How did the CM Yuva scheme change her day-to-day

Kusumlata explains that capital constraints limited her ability to purchase modern sewing equipment. She applied for support under the state government’s Chief Minister’s Yuva Udyami Vikas Yojana scheme, and used the loan to acquire newer machines. The upgrade shortened turnaround times and improved finish quality, she says, noting that work which earlier took two hours can now be completed in about one hour.

Operating the machines was self-taught through online videos, and while no formal training component accompanied the loan, the infusion of credit proved catalytic in ramping up output and servicing seasonal demand, especially during the wedding months.

What she makes and how she prices

The boutique’s core catalogue covers everyday wear and occasion pieces. According to Kusumlata, blouses and petticoats remain steady sellers, while customised kurtas and lehengas see a spike during wedding season.

She follows a made-to-measure approach and works to client budgets, adding trims, embroidery and panels based on design complexity. Sourcing is done locally to keep costs predictable and turnaround times tight.

Advice to aspiring homepreneurs

The Balrampur entrepreneur suggests that first-time founders consider starting from home to avoid rental overheads and to stay close to customers. She advises peers to explore government credit schemes, maintain quality, and build trust by delivering on time.

Looking ahead, Kusumlata hopes to ship her designs beyond the town and to expand the range of designs as capacity grows. Her story, grounded in skills, small-ticket credit and community referrals, underlines how home-based micro-businesses can recover from shocks and create steady livelihoods in India’s smaller cities.