Tell us about the name of your store, what inspired it?
Gitanjali is from the ancient language of Sanskrit. It’s best translation is “an offering of songs”. The Bengali poet Tagore published a collection of poems titled Gitanjali, which is my true inspiration. Gitanjali is very much a collection or offering of the most beautiful things.
What can we expect to discover at your store?
The theme is definitely colourful at Gitanjali and Chalk painted furniture fits perfectly amongst the other products on offer.
Everything is curated to tell the story of the colourful and the exotic. I choose everything myself and I take great care in finding things that are just a bit different. A large part of the store is dedicated to paint and we stock the full range of Annie Sloan Chalk Paints. The rest of the store is filled with beautiful textile products like quilts and cushions, brightly coloured lampshades and exotic lamp bases. We stock a really large range of jewellery including sterling silver and semi–precious pieces, lots of lovely homewares, art, silk scarves, woollen wraps and many products made by local artisans. We make sure there is something for everyone.
What is the local area like?
The shop is located in Walkerville, a historic suburb just a few kilometres north of Adelaide’s city centre. We are part of a small but bustling shopping strip in what is very much a village. Gitanjali inhabits a beautiful old shop there, first built in the 1880’s, it has remained a shop all those years. We have some historic photos of the original shopkeepers standing on the front step selling everything from flour and crockery to bibles. The facade has hardly changed in 150 years. We are now the proud caretakers of it.
When did the store open?
The store opened in 2015. I had been bringing back beautiful textiles from India to sell for many years but it was my dream to import furniture from India too. Gitanjali was my first foray into that and I loved it immediately.
How did stocking Annie Sloan paints enhance your store?
Annie Sloan instantly became a drawcard for Gitanjali. My first order quickly sold and I was re-ordering fast to keep up with the demand. After a few month sI began running workshops at the store. This created a real buzz for customers desperate to get painting. I made sure I always had every colour in great supply. During covid, Annie Sloan paints became the most important part of my range. We would pass orders safely through the back gate, deliver to people’s doors and keep people busy and connected during lockdown. When the Wall Paint and Satin Paint ranges arrived we added them to our offering. Now many years on, Annie Sloan products can be found throughout the store.
Tell us about your Chalk Paint workshops?
We offer an Annie Sloan Basics Workshop every month. It’s a four–hour workshop covering all of the basics and quite a few of the more advanced techniques. Everyone goes home exhausted but leaves full of inspiration. We also offer other workshops throughout the year including ‘Paint a Piece’, Flat Pack Workshop, an Annie Sloan Juniors Workshop and lampshade workshop. We also hosted The Joy of Painting 2–day Masterclass with Tristan Merriam in 2025. It was an absolute triumph.
What do you love most having your store?
I love the people I meet. There have been so many incredible people come through the door in the last eleven years and I have made so many great friends. I have shared in people’s happiest moments and some of their toughest too. That is the incredible gift we receive when we create a community in our little shops. Seeing people leave with an arm full of shopping with a big smile or having them bringing family and friend to Gitanjali to share their “favourite shop” gives us such a kick.
What does it mean to you to be a Flagship Store?
Being chosen as a Flagship Store has been such a great honour. We were the very first Flagship Store in Australia and we take that very seriously. I think of being a Flagship Store like this; if Annie had her best friend needing paint and she wanted a store where she felt confident there was always the full range of products, the best displays, really great product knowledge and the very best customer service then she would send them to Gitanjali. That is the kind of standard we strive to maintain. Every customer gets the very best of everything.
