Jaipur Living, the India-based provider of hand-knotted rugs and other home goods, is set to again more than double its existing footprint at its North American headquarters in Cherokee County.
The fast-growing company is expected to hire 64 people and invest $21 million to add another 192,072-square-foot building to its offices and warehouse complex, which occupies 179,727 square feet, according to the Cherokee County Office of Economic Development.
Founded by N.K. Chaudhary and led in metro Atlanta by his daughters Asha (CEO) and Archana (COO), the company prides itself on supporting weavers and sustaining the lifestyles of the 40,000 artisans that make its core products by hand in villages across rural India.
“Jaipur Living is exactly the kind of company we want to attract and retain in Cherokee,” said Cherokee Office of Economic Development Chairman Marshall Day in a news release. “With a focus on sustainability and empowering the communities they serve, this expansion will further enhance Jaipur’s ability to bring the highest quality rugs and textiles to the market.”
Starting in 1978 in the state of Rajasthan, Mr. Chaudhary disrupted an existing model that relied upon middlemen, yet he avoided centralized mass production, aiming to retain handmade quality while empowering workers and preserving the art of weaving.
But he is the first to admit that it has been his daughters who have presided over the company’s increased professionalization and rapid U.S. growth during the last five years. Jaipur moved from Norcross to its 23-acre Cherokee County site in 2016, doubling its warehouse space at the time. Even as the first facility was set up, a second phase was planned that executives thought would bring the total to 300,000 square feet.
The new facility is meant to house the company’s “expanding inventory” while also creating “a space where we could invite our customers to come connect and fully experience Jaipur Living in a modern and immersive brand environment,” said Asha Chaudhary in the release.
Global Atlanta visited Mr. Chaudhary and Jaipur’s India operations in 2012, interviewing weavers and executives alike in profiling the company’s operations. Read more: Rug Exporter Weaves Indian Artisans With World Markets
The company is just down I-75 from another fast-growing Indian home goods firm, Surya, which broke ground in 2014 on a $33.5 million facility in Cartersville.
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