Mumbai (Bombay) Shopping

  1. Bhuleshwar Market

    You can buy just about anything in the dense bazaars north of the Fort. The main areas are Crawford Market (fruit and veg), Mangaldas Market (silk and cloth), Zaveri Bazaar (jewellery), Bhuleshwar Market (fruit and veg) and Chor Bazaar (antiques and furniture), where Dhabu St is worth a peek for leather goods, and Mutton St specialises in antiques, reproductions and junk.

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  2. Bombay Paperie

    If you're looking to give your letters that authentic touch, this shop has handmade cotton-based paper made in the village of Kagzipura near Aurangabad. There are also charming cards, sculptures and lampshades.

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  3. Bombay Store

    The place to browse if you're looking for souvenirs from around India. Although the prices are considerably higher than at the markets or Central Cottage Industries Emporium, the range and quality is impressive. It sells rugs, textiles, home furnishings, silverware, glassware, pietra dura (marble inlay work) and bric-a-brac.

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  4. Central Cottage Industries Emporium

    A national institution, the government-run Central Cottage Industries Emporium (CCIE) has a wide selection of mass-produced trinkets, instruments and garments made locally. If you have the time to search, it's convenient and reasonably priced, and the range is truly impressive.

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  5. Chimanlals

    Chimanlals is nothing less than an Aladdin's cave of cards, envelopes and writing materials made from traditional Indian paper. Enter from Wallace St.

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  6. Chor Bazaar

    If you're after Raj-era bric-a-brac, head to Chor Bazaar; the main area of activity is Mutton St, where you'll find a row of shops specialising in antiques (many ingenious reproductions, so beware) and miscellaneous junk.

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  7. Colaba Street Market

    Mumbai is India's great marketplace, with some of the best shopping in the country. Colaba Street Market lines Colaba Causeway with hawkers' stalls and shops selling garments, perfumes and all manner of knick-knacks. Electronic gear, pirated CDs and DVDs, leather goods and mass-produced gizmos can be found at stalls on Dr Dadabhai Naoroji Rd between CST and Flora Fountain, and along MG Rd from Flora Fountain to Kala Ghoda.

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  8. Courtyard

    This collection of boutiques is Mumbai's fashion nexus, with appealing, keenly priced couture clothes, shoes and interior goods by top local designers such as Narendra Kumar and the Gaultier-goes-to-Bollywood look of Manish Arora.

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  9. Crawford Market

    Also known as Mahatma Jyobita Phule, Crawford Market is the largest municipal market in Mumbai. From the outside it looks more like a medieval fortress than a place to buy household goods.

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  10. Fab India

    Arguably the best boutique in Mumbai, Fabindia sells a range of shirts, trousers, kurtas and salwar kameez , all made from gloriously colourful block-printed silk and cotton. Orange, aquamarine and saffron are definitely the colours of the day. Head upstairs for curtains and bed sheets in the same rainbow hues.

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  12. Fashion Street Market

    Snap up a bargain backpacking wardrobe at Fashion Street Market, the cheap stalls lining MG Rd between Cross and Azad maidans (fields.) Hone your bargaining skills.

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  13. Inshaallah Mashaallah

    Helpful staff will guide you through the shelves and their displays of olfactory chaos. Inshaallah offers a vast range of local perfumed oils and potions - heaven for the delicate romancer (hell for the impatient boyfriend). Big sellers include lemongrass, jasmine, sandalwood and agarwood.

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  14. Kala Niketan

    The pick of the bunch of Sari shops lining this part of Queens Rd, the helpful staff will help you sort through the sari-madness. Prices range from Rs500 all the way to Rs80,000 .

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  15. Kashmir Government Arts Emporium

    The Kashmir Government Arts Emporium, as you might expect from the name, sells craft and artworks produced in the northwestern region of Kashmir, scene of strife between the Indian and Pakistani militaries.

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  16. Khadi & Village Industries Emporium

    Inspired by the teachings of Gandhi, this charitable emporium sells a huge range of handmade fabrics produced by rural communities from across India. As well as kurtas (long mens shirts) and salwar kameez (a shirt, trousers and scarf for women), the emporium sells religious statues, brass knick-knacks and other Indian crafts.

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  17. Khubsons Narisons

    Khubsons Narisons sells famous Tantra T-shirts sporting funky original sketches, designs and witty slogans. A number of nearby market stalls sell clothing remarkably similar to Khubsons'.

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  18. LM Furtado & Co

    The best place in Mumbai for musical instruments - sitars, tablas, accordions and local and imported guitars - is LM Furtado & Co. It also has a branch around the corner on Lokmanya Tilak Rd.

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  19. Mangaldas Market

    Mangaldas Market, traditionally home to traders from Gujarat, is a great place to browse for Indian textiles and traditional clothes, such as duppatas (the long scarfs atop the salwar kameez .)

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  20. Mélange

    An Aladdin's cave of high fashion, this boutique stocks garments from some 70 designers across India. Think sequined handbags and jewel-draped salwar kameez (women's shirt & trousers) and you'll have some idea what to expect.

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  21. Mini Market

    Like many visitors to Mumbai, you'll indubitably want to pick up some movie-industry kitsch. Mini Market sells original vintage Bollywood posters and other movie ephemera as well as many trinkets.

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  23. Phillips

    Established way back in 1860, Phillips is a veritable treasure house of wooden carvings, Victoriana, brassware and 18th-century maps and prints. The antiques come with high price tags, but you can be confident that everything here is the genuine article.

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  24. Planet M

    No Mumbai adventure would be complete without some Bollywood beats to patter around to. Make sure you enter this store's orbit, as it's packed with movie soundtracks, DVDs of Bollywood blockbusters and imported CDs of Western pop. You can listen before you buy and it also has its own in-house radio station and a cafe.

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  25. Rhythm House

    Poor-quality pirated CDs and DVDs are available on the street for around Rs 200. If you want quality discs, drop by at either Planet M or Rhythm House.

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  26. Soma

    Soma has home-furnishings and clothing made from hand-block-printed materials at surprisingly reasonable prices, especially considering one bed-spread can be hand-stamped up to 14,000 times!

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  27. Telon

    Men too often get a raw deal when it comes to designer fashions, but Telon is working to restore the balance. The Bollywood-meets-Versace designs are inspired. To achieve the full Bollywood masti (fun) look, pick up an embroidered short kurta (men's shirt).

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