Come 2013 Ramroop’s Furniture Store will be celebrating forty years in the household furnishing industry and the proprietor, Dinesh Narine looks back on the impact which the enterprise has made on the sector with a considerable sense of accomplishment.
Situated at 14 Lombard Street, Charlestown, Ramroop’s Furniture Store was registered in the name of Hardauth Narine, the father of the current owner, on February 28, 1973. The name Ramroop, Dinesh says, is an older trading name that belonged to his grandfather Ramroop Narine. The store quickly established a reputation for ‘meeting the pocket’ of working class Guyanese and its modest prices coupled with its convenient layaway plan were more than enough ‘advertising’ to render it popular with urban inner city residents. Its primary accomplishment, in Dinesh’s view is the fact that it has survived both the ups and downs of the Guyana economy as well as the advent of tough competition from both local and imported furniture.
Dinesh does not readily recall when the second branch of the store opened in Camp Street, obliquely opposite Demerara Bank. However, following the death of his father in 1986 he assumed responsibility for both branches. Subsequently, management challenges compelled him to liquidate the