Our Third Show at Shoppe Object. Here’s What It Taught Me.

This collection was wavy, flowy, and free-spirited. The entire idea was to make metal fluid. To take something rigid and unyielding and give it movement. Give it breath. Give it life. 

That’s what we brought to Shoppe Object this August. Our third trade show. And once again, the experience gave me far more than I brought to it. 

When I moved to this country almost eleven years ago as a first-generation immigrant, I carried a quiet dream. I wanted to see Indian craftsmanship celebrated here. Not as novelty. As something valued and understood.

And there’s been a wave of Indian culture sweeping through New York lately. You see it in restaurants like Ambassador, Clubhouse, and Musafir, right in the epicenter of the city.Indian food, Indian design, Indian stories finding their rightful place. 

Byaas is part of that wave.

Standing in my booth, watching people stop, touch our pieces, and feel something? That is the dream made real. And I don’t take that for granted.

Here’s the thing people don’t tell you about trade shows. The best part isn’t the sales. It’s the people. 

Our neighbors, Maison Balzac and a beautiful family business from Germany, became instant friends. Diagonal to us was Ridesign, an industrial design studio based in Brooklyn with Indian roots. Seeing them there, thriving? One of those quiet, proud moments that stays with you.

I made so many friends. People who traveled miles, sometimes across oceans, just to be at this show. And I learned something beautiful: you can find common ground with someone from the other side of the world faster than you’d ever expect.

But here’s what really stuck with me. 

Staying true to yourself is the most luxurious thing you can do. Read that again.

There is no ceiling when you pour your heart and craft into something. Passion, real, stubborn, unshakable passion, will always win. Every single time. 

I wasn’t at Shoppe Object for revenue. I was there to showcase my work to the world and see if it resonates. I want to build a community. My community. People who appreciate the same aesthetic. People who value craftsmanship and the love that goes into every single piece.

I want to be loved and remembered as someone who valued what they did. That’s it. That’s the whole goal.

The client who bought the least made me the happiest. She was jumping with joy as she placed her order. And her excitement meant everything.

Then our very first client ever stopped by. She looked at everything we’ve done since those early days and told us she was proud of how we’ve grown.

That is my achievement. That is what I’m here to celebrate.

But can I tell you something funny?

I don’t feel anything. Because I had already lived this moment in my head. I’d imagined it so many times, so vividly, that when it finally arrived, it felt like returning to a place I’d already been.

That’s the power of visualization. That’s the power of belief. That’s the power of showing up for yourself before anyone else does.

So I’ll sit with it. Let it pass. And then I’ll prepare for the next show and give it everything I have, all over again.

Because that’s what we do. We keep going.

Bhavini Khullar is the founder and creative director of Byaas, a handcrafted brass and metalwork home décor brand rooted in her family’s 70+ year repoussé tradition from Delhi.