It just occurred to me that Ungu Pen is exactly one year old today.

When we registered Ungu Pen to be operational on this date one year ago, it was a self-proprietorship that deals with publishing and educational services. Under Ungu Pen, we have published two books, “The Truth Seekers @ Haji Lane” and “There Are Saga Seeds In Our Pockets!”, developed a children’s workshop and facilitated a training programme.

Six months later, due to our own family circumstances, we registered a trading company: Ungu Pen Lifestyle and set up our humble retail store at East Village Mall and called it Ungu Pen: The Lifestyle Curator. We curated local books, bakes, modestwear and hijabs as we envisioned a mini halal Marks and Spencer type of outlet serving a range of Muslim-friendly lifestyle products that could fulfil the needs of being a Muslim in contemporary society conveniently.

We have not strayed far but there were many challenges of space, supplies, funding, expertise etc that limit what we can hope to achieve and do.

We’ve been told to be more focused in our branding, even in our logo and name, and what we offer. Even the name Ungu Pen does not give some people the first impression of who we are or what we want to be. Some even suggest we drop the word ‘Pen’ but this is the very word that was inspired by Allah’s guidance. Some would know of the inspiration behind Ungu Pen but I would share this again another time.

Even Apple Inc does not sell apples, and no one think anything less of the late Steve Jobs. No one even scoffed at the idea of Duck Scarves being an animal farm or selling rubber duckie stuff, and yet it is a scarf brand with a fashionably huge following. We have also been described as a ‘mamak’ shop – a sort of bric and brac Mom and Pop shop. We take all these feedback in our stride and trudged on. Hence Ungu and Pen will stay.

Coming from an innovation background, the term “force fitting” means taking two seemingly unrelated things and put them together. Sometimes it work, sometimes it doesn’t. However, the most important thing for us right now is to be able to serve something unique, tasteful, convenient, quality and of immense value for our beloved customers and supporters and at the same time make enough to put food on our table and pay our bills. Of course, we want more – more rezeki in the form of cash so that we can do more for ourselves, our families, and also our community – but at this stage of our business, we would be grateful to just have enough.

One of the things that I have grown to love about Ungu Pen: The Lifestyle Curator is how a customer would come into the shop, and would tell me that she has just newly started wearing the scarf or plan to wear the scarf. Sometimes she is apologetic which I feel that she should not be and shouldn’t have to. She would ask a lot of questions and would love to try the various scarves we have and even ask me for a demonstration. I love to oblige and willingly do a demo, eventhough I know I’m far from being a stylish hijabista. I’d tell them there are many Youtube video tutorials that they can view but they are intrigued by how I tie my very simple hijab and would be very surprised that it was rather easy. When I reflect on these encounters, perhaps this is not far from how and why Ungu Pen started, and the birth of our very first novella, The Truth Seekers @ Haji Lane.

There is a far greater calling for me (and my husband) than just publishing a book or selling a hijab.

Sometimes my husband and I do not see eye to eye on things, and this also presents major challenges and frustrations. Many times I feel like I should just step back and let him have full reign on how he would like to run Ungu Pen: The Lifestyle Curator retail business. But I know that he still needs me in the sourcing, creative and social media engagement department and I need him to run the operational side of the business. However, there are other facets of the business that need looking into, and both of us are not up to it and lack the expertise to do so and also the funds to engage the experts.

Come 2017, we hope and pray with all hope that He will guide us and grant us ease and give us a breakthrough in our business so that we can serve humankind better, as He wish us to serve. InshaAllah. Ameen.

And because it is our first year anniversary, and the very reason for the birth and existence of Ungu Pen, we are giving away our first publication: The Truth Seekers @ Haji Lane, the novella which is uniquely a Singaporean Muslim story told in the English language. Two of my credible reviewers had claimed that it was the first to be done so in Singapore – Malay/Muslim Singaporean perspective written in English. Alhamdullillah.

Of late, there has been at least 2 to 3 more English language novels from Singaporean Malay or Muslim authors which were unheard of before 2015 (before the publication of TTS) except for translated works. Alhamdullillah, I’m humbled.

The Truth Seekers @ Haji Lane is written by Maryam Amelie, the pen name I use. So just follow us on IG/ like us on FB and tag a friend you think would love to read this novella. We will give away one for you and one for your friend.

With love,
Maria, the one half of the Mom and Pop Ungu Pen: The Lifestyle Curator retail store.