KOCHI: Kochi’s Broadway is one of the oldest commercial streets in Kerala. One can spot several quaint shops that have existed for decades. And in one nook of the crammed street stands Valavi and Company, said to be the oldest business house here.
“The family-run business was established in 1899, and ours was the lone shop on the Broadway street,” says Jose Valavi, owner of the company that is now synonymous with invitation cards. Initially, the shop was a hub for imported paper, tyre, liquor and printing inks. In the 1950s, as business diminished, the Valavi family switched to invitation card printing.
“Our family started off with a small shop, and we never dreamt of massive success,” adds Jose. In subsequent years, Broadway as well as the invitation card business flourished. Currently, the nondescript shop from the outside is a popular destination for wedding cards.
Valavi & Co boasts over a lakh designs, and offers models that suit the pockets of people of all economic classes. Prices range from Rs 2 to Rs 2,000 per piece, based on the material and design. “Celebrities such as Kavya Madan, Navya Nair, S Sreeshanth and Nivin Pauly have come here to design their wedding cards,” says Sreedevi, an employee at the shop. “I have had the opportunity to display sample cards to them.”
Invitation cards have evolved by leaps and bounds over the years. “Back in the 50s, invitation cards were simple. They were bland,” says Jose. “Cards did not even have images of Lord Ganesha. They had only an image of a candle or the ‘Om’ symbol. As years passed, aspirations soared along with creativity. Today, we have six designers. And invitations are even made using velvet and satin.”
The company also offers designer-box cards, and acrylic and laser-cut invitations. E-cards, however, are the latest rage. “The array of designs swaps every year. The paper invitations from the 1950s are obsolete today,” says Neethu Joshi, a designer at the company. “People seek vibrant, whacky designs. Some download designs from Pinterest and get them recreated.”
Jose notes the demand for digital invitations has boomed, adding that ‘Save the Date’ e-cards are trending. “Digitisation has taken over, especially after Covid,” he adds. “We took a big hit after the pandemic broke out. Earlier, we used to get over 70 orders a day. That has come down to 15-20 due to the Covid effect and digitisation. We also deal in packing material, customised gift boxes, office stationery and ID cards.”