Women entrepreneurs sported big smiles on their faces on the concluding day of the Bihar Mahila Udyog Mela on Monday.

The reason behind their smiles - a business of Rs 1.5 crore-plus from sale of their products during the five-day fair - was no mean feat by any standard.

Businesswomen from different places like Pune, Mumbai, Bengal, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh took part in the fair. Designer and embroidered salwar suits, Anarkali suits, royal-style chests, tikuli art, Madhubani paintings, block printed garments, edible products, jewellery and home décor - all that were up for grabs sold briskly.

Nikki Singh, a city-based entrepreneur, was on cloud nine.

She said: 'It's the first time that I had displayed my flowers, hanging vertical garden and wall landscaping here. The response was exceedingly good and I made good profit. The concept is new to the customers in Patna, so people easily got attracted towards it. Everyone wants their garden and home to look beautiful. We not only sell our plants but also take the charge to maintain them on a weekly and monthly basis. We imported orchids, which customers would rarely find in Patna, and also carpet grass.'

Amrita Singh, another entrepreneur based in the state, had put up her stall the second time in this fair. She runs a cotton production unit in Fatuha and was happy. Amrita said: 'I had leggings, Patiala suits and scarves on sale. Customers of all ages came to my stall and went back satisfied. We offered three leggings for the price of two. College students got attracted to our stall the most.'

Women entrepreneurs wore a look of satisfaction on the concluding day of fair though some of them were dissatisfied with their marketing. Entrepreneur Nisha Raj said: 'We expected a good response but now I am dissatisfied with the sales. It was much below our expectations, as two more fairs had been organised around the same time in the city. That cased a split in the customers' destinations.'

The customers were sifting through every stall to choose the products of their choice even on the last day of the fair. As Holi is round the corner, the customers were also excited to complete the shopping for the festival.

Gardanibagh resident Tanuja Sinha said: 'I visited the fair everyday and bought clothes, jewellery, home décor and edible products.I bought five suits and three saris. Today, I will buy some flowers and more home decor items.'

College students were looking for the perfect cotton suits for daily use. College-goer Vanshita Aggrawal said: 'Cotton leggings and kurti shops have tempting offers for girls. I have bought leggings of all shades and three cotton kurtis.'

State food and consumer protection minister Shyam Rajak Sharma was the chief guest at the closing ceremony of fair. Rajak said: 'Women have talent but they do not have a proper market to display their handicrafts. Soon, a permanent place, Bihar Haat, would be set up for them.'