Pornpatr: gallery owner, housewife, trendwatcher, artist
Pornpatr Witoonchart is known as one hi-so. Her face regularly graces the media pages of newspapers and she has worked as a beauty product presenter. But she herself does not consider herself one hi-so celebrity.
'I don't use branded items every day and I don't have an extravagant life. I like to eat on the street and I don't indulge in all kinds of cravings. Most of those so-called hi-so parties I've been to were given by friends.'
For ten years Pornpatr ran a posh art gallery in Thong Lor, but three years ago she closed the door behind her and decided to become a full-time housewife. But she's not sitting still. She is director and chairman of the executive board of Siam Future Development (SF), owned by her husband Nopporn.
SF is developing neighborhood malls, some mega-sized like Esplanade on Ratchadaphisek Road and Mega Bangna, which is home to Thailand's first-ever Ikea, and others smaller.
Two to three times a year, Pornpatr and Nopporn go abroad to meet other mall operators and get a feel for the trends, especially in the US. “When I go to other countries with my husband, I always look for trendy stores and products that I think will help him in his business,” she says.
A community mall is a market for city dwellers
Neighborhood malls are popular in Thailand. That doesn't surprise Pornpatr. “They are rooted in the Thai lifestyle and go back generations. The concept is not new or anything special. A community mall is a market – a market for city dwellers. Our parents used to go to the market to buy food. That custom has continued to this day. A community mall has a market, in this case a supermarket. And has restaurants, places to eat and hangouts.'
The switch from gallery owner to housewife and partner of her husband has not extinguished her love for art. Eight years ago she started taking painting lessons. She first worked with acrylic paint and now she only makes watercolors. Last year she exhibited 41 works of art under the title 'Let's Fall in Love' in Esplanade for the first time. The exhibition raised 500.000 baht for a Buddhist college in Ayutthaya.
And then there is the charity work: she supports five children through the CCF Foundation and World Vision Foundation. Initiatives to help young people are dear to her. “When they grow up they will realize that they have come this far thanks to the help of other people. I think they'll give that back later to others who have fewer options.'
(Source: Brunch, Bangkok Post, March 10, 2013)