Shopping in India
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Mehrotra Silk Facto
Tucked away down a tiny alleyway near the Varanasi Junction train station, this pocket-sized, fixed-priced shop is a fun place to buy good-quality silk scarves (from Rs250), saris (from Rs1500) and bedspread sets (from Rs5000). Turn right out of the station, take the first major left turn, then turn left just before the iway Internet cafe and it’s down a small alleyway on your left.
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Baba Blacksheep
Another reasonable option for silk shopping, with similar prices to Mehrotra Silk Factory.
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Hari Om Jewellers
Following the famous footsteps of Hari Om, Roop Kishore Soni is a silversmith who makes delicate silver rings and bracelets. Visitors have commissioned personalised wedding rings here. There’s also a shop inside the fort, or visit this home address.
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JG Art & Crafts
Abhay Kumar is the proprietor of this excellent store, which has a cheap and reliable international courier service, and all kinds of handicrafts and fabrics.
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Navjyoti Tailors
Pushkar is a good place to get clothes made and a reliable option is Navjyoti Tailors.
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Maharani Art Exporters
Maharani Art Exporters is one of the better bets for quality replica antiques.
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Subhash Emporium
This expensive but honest marble-carving shop has been knocking up quality pieces for more than 35 years. Watch artisans at work in the entranceway before delving into the stock out the back.
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Fabindia
Founded as a means to get traditional fabric artisans’ wares to market, Fabindia has all the vibrant colours of the country in its cotton and silk fashions, materials and homewares, all in a modern-meets-traditional Indian shop. The Santa Cruz outpost is also good.
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Janpath Market
Aka the Tibetan Market, this touristy strip sells the usual trinkets: shimmering mirrorwork textiles, colourful shawls, brass oms, and dangly earrings and trinkets galore. It has some good finds if you rummage through the junk. Haggle hard.
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Handloom House
This is a huge department store thronged with locals. Alongside some questionable clothes are mountains of fixed-price bandhani, silk saris and woollen shawls.
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Cinnamon
Cinnamon sells gorgeous Indian-designed clothing, jewellery and homewares in an ultrachic white retail space.
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Maria Brothers
Secondhand and antiquarian books.
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Wheeler's Bookshop
Wheeler's Bookshop
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Sunder Nagar Market
Just south of Purana Qila, this genteel enclave specialises in Indian and Nepali handicrafts and ‘antiques’ (most are replicas). There are two outstanding teashops here: Regalía Tea House (open 10am to 7.30pm Monday to Saturday, 11am to 4pm Sunday); and its neighbour Mittal Tea House (open 10am to 7.30pm Monday to Saturday, 10am to 4.30pm Sunday). They stock similar products and offer complimentary tea tastings. There’s plenty on offer, from fragrant Kashmiri kahwa (green tea with cardamom; Rs110 per 100g), to the finest of teas, Vintage Musk (Rs700 per 100g). The white tea (Rs600/350 per 100g organic/non-organic) is said to contain even more antioxidants than…
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Bhuttico
Shawls are sold all over Manali. A good place to start is at the cooperative Bhuttico which was established in 1944 by a group of village women. It charges fixed prices, so it’s a good place to gauge price and quality. Expect to pay upwards of Rs300 for lambswool, from Rs1000 for angora, from Rs3000 for pashmina and Rs6500 for the exquisitely embroidered shawls worn by village women. It has another store located in Manu Market.
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Ladakh Art Palace
Leh is packed with souvenir shops. There are some wonderful things on offer - from thangkas (Buddhist cloth paintings) and Ladakhi hats to heavy turquoise jewellery and wooden choktse (Tibetan tables) - but be aware that many souvenirs are trucked in from China, Kashmir and Nepal, providing little benefit to local people.
Probably the best selection in town is at Ladakh Art Palace, but prices are somewhat inflated.
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Tibetan Handicrafts Cooperative Centre
Tibetan Handicrafts Cooperative Centre employs newly arrived refugees in the weaving of Tibetan carpets. You’ll pay around Rs6000 for a 0.9m by 1.8m wool carpet in traditional Tibetan colours and you can watch the weavers in action. For made-to-order clothing, head over the road to the Tailoring Section.
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Hauz Khas Village
This arty little enclave is packed with designer Indian-clothing boutiques, art galleries and furniture shops. It’s a great place to find superb old Bollywood posters. Try Country Collection for antique and new furniture (they’ll post overseas), and Cotton Curios for handprinted kameez, and soft furnishings.
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Shrujan
Selling the intricate embroidery work of women in 114 villages in Kutch, Gujarat, the nonprofit Shrujan aims to help women earn a livelihood while preserving the spectacular embroidery traditions of the area. The sophisticated clothing, wall hangings and purses make great gifts.
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Shabari
This is a fixed-price government emporium selling Adivasi handicrafts from small, spindly iron figures (Rs. 20) to more expensive, heavy bell-metal statues. From the Sanjay Market end of Main Rd, take the third right and continue for 500m. It is opposite the Bank of Baroda ATM.
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Dastkar Craft Centre
This place, 3km from the station, is worth a visit. The organisation empowers low-caste village women, who produce the attractive handicrafts on sale, including saris, scarves, bags and bedspreads. You can visit the workshop located beyond the park entrance near Khem Villas.
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Kashmir Government Arts Emporium
To browse fixed-price souvenirs, including hand-knotted rugs and salwar suits, without sales pressure, visit this surreal, army-guarded arts emporium in a half-timbered mansion flanked by curious gatehouses that seem transported from a dilapidated Oxford College.
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Chandni Chowk
Pure pandemonium, this is the old city’s famed shopping strip. Some stores open from around 10am to 7pm, others from noon to 9pm. Winding your way through the jumble of frenzied bazaars is a veritable assault on the senses.
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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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Sadhna
This is the outlet for Seva Mandir, an NGO set up in 1969 to help rural women. The small shop sells attractive fixed-price textiles; profits go to the artisans and towards community development work.
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