On your way to Patan Durbar Square, if you ever walk pass Swotha, there's a curious little shop that you won't fail to notice. Those who have stepped in have revisited it countless times thereafter, and even recommended it to family and friends. And those of you who haven't yet, maybe need to the next time you're in the area. Melting Pot is a delightful little shop that is definitely worth your time, and money.
Melting Pot's creator and founder Bobin Bajracharya came back to Nepal after staying in Japan, pursuing his musical journey for 14 long years. Along with music, he had to work in offices, which, after a while, he realized was not his cup of tea. So after coming back to Nepal, he thought of opening his own business. But it's never as simple to do something as it is to plan and dream about it. So, he decided to tread carefully: he wanted to experiment and thus, the idea for Melting Pot was conceived.
It is now an amusing combination of a handicraft store, café, guest room, and an apartment. The handicraft store features items like incense sticks, candles, chocolates, T-shirts, honey, lip-balm, etc., to name a few.
As Bajracharya had a strong musical background that is still a big part of what he does, initially Melting Pot was just an office for him to reach out to people. For two years, it served him well. But he wanted to further explore with his experiments. It was then that Melting Pot, the handicraft store, was established.
But it wasn't enough that he just featured different items at the store. Then it would be just another handicraft store around town. The items for sale at the store are from people he knows. For instance, the candles, that he calls 'Aama' candles, are made by his mother.
"I thought it would be encouraging for her if I sell it here," he says. Besides that, the store also features an array of products created by his friends and other acquaintances. He has the postcards made by one of his friends on display. "I like her work and wanted my customers to enjoy and even buy it," he says. For another friend who is into honey business, he has featured products such as 'Pure Honey' and 'Beeswax Cream'. Exotic incense sticks and small crafts like tiny Buddha statues and rings are also common at the store.
"I want to try my luck at business, but it's not just about the profit. This is my business experiment and I want to see how things work out, so that I can learn from it myself," he says, adding that he is all in for promoting people who want to do something.
The items on sale at the store could be called one of a kind. From limited pieces of 'money clip' to gold plated lion ring, the items on display are unique and interesting, to say the least. What makes a visit at the Melting Pot more interesting is the owner himself. Everywhere in the store, one can see traces of hexagonal figures in paintings and photos, even in the CDs of the songs he released. The hexagonal figure is a symbol for the 'bee-hive economy' theory that he propounded after learning lessons in Japan.
There, he observed that people had to abide by so many rules and though it yielded a very productive society, people were still unhappy. He concluded that to be the workings of a square society, completely opposed to people here, who barely follow the rules, yet are happy.
"I'm not happy with how things are here, but I wanted to make something for me that had the best of both worlds. So I thought of tweaking them both to the shape of a bee-hive, to represent it. I think that as long as you are doing something creative and are satisfied with it, you don't have to bother with these things," he says.
In a country where people have a tendency to be dependent on one another and get involved in a useless blame-game, he believes that being self-motivated and doing something go a long way. This is his basic idea that he calls the 'butter-lamp' theory. It is in Melting Pot where one can see him trying to promote these theories that he lives and abides by. He invites people to come and do 'something creative', engaging customers in some fun guff-gaff and anecdotes from his travels. Giving examples of the creative people whose works he has featured and promoted, he says, "This is a place for creative people."
You don't have to take our word for it. Go give Melting Pot a visit, have a conversation with Bajracharya who will engage you with his ideas and thoughts and discover this place for yourself. And if you like something there, Bajracharya even has a deal for you. "If you can and have it in you, we accept payment in creativity," he says.