Suriyan Chandra Gallery
Nimmanhemin Lane 1 is by now a very trendy area for fashion, interior design and art. Suriya's arrival there has a lot to do with it.
When Suriya came to Chiang Mai, he found a nice townhouse at Nimmanhemin Road Lane 1 owned by the Amari Rincome Hotel.
But when he had settled down he was reminded of a clause in the contract: the groundfloor of the house had to be turned into a shop.
"I was smashed!" Suriya says. "I hadn't noticed it. So my living room had to be a shop! In other words, my front door had to be open all day and people were supposed to come and go! Think of it!"
But Suriya loved the place and promised he would start that shop. He bursts out in laughter.
"It's crazy, don't you think so? I never had a shop in my life! So I thought of starting a gallery. But what would I sell? I looked at my furniture, my paintings, my carpets, my sculpture, my CDs and then I knew: I would sell stuff I love myself. But I couldn't foresee it would make so many people happy."
 
But it is true. If you visit Suriya's gallery you walk out a whole lot happier then you walked in. It's as good as going to a spa or having a great haircut: you'll walk out a new and inspired person.
Suriya has got a great eye for interior design ("We change every month!") and things he loves are the things you'll love too.
"I couldn't buy the CDs I love in Chiang Mai," he says. "That's why I started ordering them. But when I order for myself, I order for my customers too. Now I have people from Bangkok who come here to buy their CDs."
Or: "These are the essential oils I love. But you never know if oils are really pure. That's when we started making them ourselves. Now you can be sure you inhale a lovely smell from a pure oil."
 
Suriya is willing to tell you the story behind all that is in his gallery, but he won't let you walk out with just a product: there's a philosophy behind it too.
"My vision is simple," he says and laughs. "Do what you love to do. Always do what you love to do. When you do that, you'll put your heart into what you do. It will make the world a more beautiful and peaceful place."
Check this out. Is what you do every day what you love to do? When in doubt, go see Suriya and charge your battery.
Recently Suriya is running the business together with his son Taan. They opened a new gallery on Sirimankalajaarn Road, just around the corner. It's called Avatar and we'll tell you all about it soon.
Suriyan Chandra Gallery
Nimmanhemin Road, Lane 1 Nr 1
(behind Amari Rincome Hotel)
Tel: 053-227480
Fax: 053-907120
Email: info@suriyanchandra.com
 
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