Shopping in Mumbai
Mumbai, previously known as Bombay, is not just the largest city of India. This is the “City of Dreams” where millions of people from every strata of life are living their dreams in their own way. This financial hub of the country is an intoxicating blend of fascinating Bollywood, pulsating nightlife, high-end shopping centres, spectacular architecture and unmatched enthusiasm. When you come to Mumbai, it is almost mandatory to bring at least a piece (doesn’t matter how small it is) of souvenir to keep this city close to your heart forever.
Things to Buy From Mumbai
In this article, we are suggesting few things that are very much exclusive to Mumbai and you can take them with you when you know where to get them. Find here 15 Best Things to Buy From Mumbai:
1. Spices
Apart from being the “Land of Diversity”, India is also described often as the “Land of Spices”. There is hardly any other country in the world except India where you can get so many types of spices. During your visit to Mumbai, you will get plenty of chances to bag some of those exotic Indian spices. As soon as you enter the spice shop, your senses will get elevated with the smell of freshly grounded spices. Mirchi Galli in Kalbadevi and Lalbaug Spice Market in Lower Parel are surely the most favourite stops to buy Indian spices. While roaming on the lanes of spice market, don’t hesitate to invest in saffron, chilli powder, nutmeg, cardamom and cinnamon.
2. Decor items
When you want to buy something unique as well as impressive piece of souvenir from Mumbai, then you should head for The Bombay Store. There are approximately 20 Bombay Shops spreading across the city. So, it wouldn’t be hard for you to find one. These shops are loaded with wide range of handcrafted and exclusive items that speaks of Indian culture and heritage.
3. Jewellery
Fashion quotient of Mumbai has always been impeccable and impressive. Being the tinsel town of the country, people of Mumbai love to flaunt the latest fashion trends through their clothes and jewellery. If you are looking for some budget jewellery shopping, then you must visit the Colaba Causeway. Located at the Southern tip of the city, Colaba is the best street shopping destination. We guarantee, you will literally feel lost in the ocean of junk jewelleries that every shop in Causeway showcases. You can crack damn cheap deals if you put a little effort to sharpen your bargaining skill.
4. Sarees or block-printed fabric
Saree is synonymous with Indian fashion. It’s not just a 6-yard piece of clothing that Indian women adorn but it is the essential part of this country’s heritage and culture. Mumbai is dotted with thousands of saree shops ranging from high-end boutiques to street shops. If you are looking for fabrics, then it is best to shop for hand-block printed fabrics. Hand-block printing is the finest and ancient textile printing technique which adds more vibrancy to colours. In this technique, artisans use mostly natural or eco-friendly colours to dye the fabric.
5. Art
Mumbai is probably the best place to showcase your creativity and that’s the reason, people from every nook and corner of the country flocking here to have a better platform to flaunt their talent. Artwork exhibitions are very regularly organised in this city and in case you can’t afford to buy those expensive artworks from gallery, you can always explore many other art dealers and vendors from the city. They deal in affordable artworks that fit your pocket and your requirement too. Kala Ghoda is the Art District of Mumbai where you can find paintings, artefacts, sculptures and many more.
6. Retro Bollywood Posters
One thing that gave Mumbai its unique identity to stand out is the Bollywood industry. Mumbai and Bollywood are simply inseparable. Doesn’t matter whether you are an ardent fan of Bollywood movies or not, Hindi movie fanatics of this city will leave you awestruck. Leaving Mumbai without buying at least a retro Hindi movie poster is a sin. You can grab some awesome deals at Chor Bazaar while bargaining for these posters. You can also spot original and rare posters of old Hindi movies that had fascinated you from your childhood. Hand-painted vintage posters are truly collector’s pieces that you can find only in Mumbai.
7. Gateway of India Photographs and Postcards
Gateway of India is undeniably the most iconic landmark in Mumbai. This classic example of British architecture is standing tall against the picturesque backdrop of The Taj Palace Hotel, facing the Arabian Sea. Gateway of India is also popular for clicking photographs against these emblematic pieces of architecture. You can find any photographer right in front of the gate who will gladly take your photos and will deliver you the copies in just few minutes. When you are at this iconic spot in Mumbai, don’t forget to buy some of those typical postcards featuring images of this historical structure.
8. Lampshades
If you take care of your home as much as you do take care of yourself, then you should bring something occasionally to decorate your home. Mumbai is one of the best places in the country to shop for home décor items. Lampshade artisans of Mumbai are particularly known for their craftsmanship. You will be amazed to the variety of lampshades this city offers. The collection includes everything from modern urban style to traditional designs. In fact, the material or cover of these lampshades are made of all sorts of cotton fabric, leather, soil, metal, wires and paper in order to create different looks. Colaba Causeway and Chor Bazaar are best places to shop for lampshades.
9. Kolhapuri Chappals
Chappals has always been an integral part of Indian Men fashion scene. Although Kolhapuri chappals originated in Kolhapur but they are hugely popular and easily available all across Maharashtra including Mumbai. If you love to flaunt your traditional attires every now and then, you can’t afford to lose this golden opportunity to buy few pairs of Kolhapuri chappals in different colours to match your dresses. These hand-crafted chappals are quite famous for their unique designs and vibrant hues. Making of a pair of Kolhapuri chappals is really fascinating as they are all hand-made and it can even take more than a month to finish the process. Linking Road and Colaba Causeway can offer you some good pairs of Kolhapuri chappals.
10. Dress materials and fabrics
There was a time when Mumbai was known for its man-made fabrics and textile industry. There were many factories and mills in this city till 1970s. Although only few of those mills and factories have survived till this date but fabric treading industry still runs across the city in full swing. Wide range of fabrics and dress materials can be purchased at dirt cheap prices from wholesale markets of the city. Crawford Market houses many such shops that will amaze you with their collection of fabrics and price-tags.
11. Sula wine
This may surprise you but the truth is India is one of the top manufacturers of fine wines in the world. Nashik is the largest grape-producing region in India. Sula Vineyard, located at Nashik, produces high-grade wine variants that brought a revolutionary change in the wine industry of the country. Sula wine tastes great and doesn’t force you to go bankrupt for buying few bottles. Sula wines can be bought from any registered liquor shop in Mumbai.
12. Leather Goods (wallets, purses with Indian motif designs)
From ancient time, Indian craftsmen are designing several types of goods from properly processed leather. Leather tanning technology is highly improvised in India and presently the country is handling with 10% of the world’s total leather requirement. Leather products like purses, handbags, footwear’s, laptop bags and wallets are available in various shapes and designs along with beautiful traditional motif and thread-work on them. Mangaldas Market at Lohar Chawl displays all such stuffs available at reasonable prices.
13. Incense and Perfume Oils
Indian lifestyle is dominated by fragrance and flavour. Ancient culture and Indian literature also talk about the goodness of essential oils, incenses and perfumes. Indian perfume manufactures are known to the world for their skill of producing new fragrance by mixing essential oils derived from rose, jasmine, patchouli, camphor, sandalwood, camphor and saffron. Essential oils are primarily produced through the “Bhbhaka Method”, the oldest method of distillation, to keep the purity and healing capacity of the oils intact. These oils are also used to produce incense sticks and diffusers. Inshaallah Mashaallah, opposite Electric House Colaba, stocks all sorts of essential oils and perfumes in tiny bottles which will cost you not more than a few hundred of bucks (in Indian Rupees of course).
14. Musical Instruments
Music runs in Indian culture and lifestyle for ages. It is really hard to imagine this country without its songs and dance forms. Many ancient temples feature images of dancers and musicians sculpted on their walls. Bollywood Hindi movies are the greatest examples of the fact that Indians are in eternal love with dance and songs. Thanks to this fondness, musical instruments are manufactured all most everywhere in the country. Apart from Indian musical instruments, you can also buy world-class western musical instruments from Mumbai. The city is dotted with many such reliable and reputed shops that sells everything you can imagine from the musical instrument section. LM Furtado & Company is one such shop at Kalbadevi to pick your favourite musical piece without being exorbitant.
Mumbai is undoubtedly one of the most preferred shopping destinations from Southeast Asia. This city offers endless possibilities when it comes to shopping. It is hard to resist the temptation of stuffing your suitcase with your new purchases as soon as you touch the land of Mumbai. This magnificent city has many more things to offer than what this article describes here. Come Mumbai and spoil yourself with endless shopping opportunities.
