She hitched her business in the tent supply trade

BY NIMAL Perera, Wattala group correspondent

"Home Art International" owned by Samantha Goonathilake has become a leading businesswoman supplying marquees/tents and decorating items in Sri Lanka today.

Samantha (44), an old girl of Girls High School, Mount Lavinia and Vishaka Vidyalaya is the only woman to engage in this trade.

She undertakes any party or function to supply marquees.tents, spot lights, printed and ordinary balloons, fans, table decors, cantilever umbrellas, carpets, platforms, garden lights, dance floors, band stands, floor bands and fairy lights.

All the marquees and tents imported from Australia are water and fire proof and also rip resistant.

"Today I am in a top position in this trade. I am the only woman who is running such a business properly in Sri Lanka today. I am used to work. During my school days, I had an orchid plantation personally managed by me," Samantha said.

She entered this business in February 2001 with the England cricket tour in Sri Lanka, that was a memorable moment in her life.

In January of the same year she went to Australia to see her parents residing there.

At that time, she had around Rs. 400,000 and the idea was to bring some computers from Australia and sell here.

"But she changed her mind when she visited a shopping centre in Perth. She saw some beautiful tents, cantilever umbrellas and furniture items."

"I was very keen on them. I changed my mind on the computer business and bought them at once without thinking twice, I brought them to Sri Lanka to sell them".

But I had to change that idea too when Shammi Silva a former Sri Lanka cricketer visited my house just two weeks before the Sri Lanka-England test series. He saw the tents and umbrellas and requested me to come and fix them at the CCC Grounds where the practice match of England team was held."

She accepted the request and agreed to do it.

"It was a great challenge for me. I went to the CCC grounds with four tents and two umbrellas and fixed them alone.

Cricket Board officials were happy when they saw these tents and umbrellas and placed an order to fix them for all test matches held at Galle, Kandy and SSC grounds.

They also placed an order to fix them for the next Australian cricket tour held the same year in Sri Lanka.

She imported another 15 tents from Australia to use for that purpose and increased it up to 40 later as she received some orders to buy them from some restaurants.

Today, she has a large number of imported tents and marquees (large tents) which can occupy up to 700 guests. In the early stages she had only one helper but now it has increased to 12.

Some modern tents and marquees used by me have the facilities such as fans, gutters and ceilings. Also I have the ability to supply the A/C facility too.

Today she is in a position to undertake any type of party, function or a wedding to supply balloons to tents and marquees.

Her husband helps her when he is free. She is busy with expanding her business and putting up a new office, visitors hall and a store room in Maradana.