Popular Markets in Mumbai
Mumbai offers a variety of markets and products.People prepare lengthy shopping lists before they set out for India’s fashion and style capital. Shopping at Mumbai can be a very tiring experience through its innumerable shopping locations, filling up your bags to capacity and still realizing that there’s so much more in the city have to be covered yet. There are more than 70 markets at this teeming mega-polis each high on style and offering the best bargains for the most chic, trendy, unique products.
The upmarket shopping areas of Mumbai at Bandra, Santacruz, Juhu, Peddar Road, Warden Road, Napean Sea Road and others are where NRIs (Non Resident Indians) head first. The quality of products on display at the showrooms and malls of these areas is of superior quality with higher prices to match. Undoubtedly, the city’s got something for all the classes and disappoints none. There is an extensive and exclusive range of interesting, smart looking products you can stash up at different locations of the city at varying prices.
A phenomenal collection of antiques, jewellery, wooden items, leather wear, stylish garbs for home interiors,accessories for stylish look everything can be achieved from the markets of Mumbai. Dazzling and colourful carpets can be purchased at ‘Mereweather Road’ just behind the famous Taj Mahal Hotel. The Mohammad Ali Road, a well known place where on can go and buy all the perfumes (Itar), mesmerizing embroidery and zari work on ethnic Indian clothes and artifacts and souvenirs that will make your shopping experience in Mumbai a memorable one. There are several exclusive shopping malls, boutiques, ethnic stores and mini markets (bazaars) that render Mumbai the identity of an indisputable shopper's paradise.
Although Mumbai has several markets to visit and purchase the goods of choices but there are popularly known markets in the city which are among the mainstream markets and visitor can explore everything.
Colaba Causway: The entire market is spread over the footpath. It specially caters to the needs of foreign visitors. Here one can get just about anything from oriental ethnic art-pieces to Indian and western clothes with a fine fusion of western and oriental styles. It is advisable to negotiate the price quoted by the shopkeeper before purchasing a product.The Bandra Linking Road: It is another destination where the market sprawls on the footpath. A visit to this place will make you conscious of the latest, newest trends in outfits, shoes and sandals, ladies purses to big sophisticated bags at amazingly cheap prices. The college goers are the main customers of this market. There are plenty of provisions to haggle the quoted prices down to a good deal. If all the shopping’s made you hungry, then there are quite a few eating outlets and joints that cater mainly to fast food nearby. Linking Road is also laced with the swankiest stores selling expensive branded stuff, but you have to keep walking along to be able to reach them.
The Fashion Street: This extremely popular shopping retreat is situated near the Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus (VT) railway station. As the name suggests, this market is teeming with retail outlets that give away the hippest, latest deals at throwaway prices. The main customers are college students and teenagers. The price of the product varies in peak hours. A customer could pay a high price in the day session for a product, while the same product one can get at half the price in the evening between eight and ten. Here, bargaining is the sole option of setting a deal.
Chor Bazar: Operating at odd hours of the day, Chor Bazar is the Achilles Heel of every antique collector of the world. It is a mysterious treasure trove of antique replicas. Apart from imitated antiques it deals with hand made furniture to spare parts of the car. The Bazaar is opulent with jewellery, paintings and what not. It is located at Grant Road, Mutton Street; mid night is the high time to take a round of the market from Saturdays to Thursdays.
Crawford Market: The market established by a colonial ruler is situated north of the Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus Railway Station (VT), also known as Mahatma Jyothiba Phule Market. The nice Victorian structure of the market building is another instance of fine colonial architecture and was developed by Lockyard Kipling, the father of the famous Rudyard Kipling in 1869. It is one of the important whole sale markets in Mumbai. It offers an interesting range of fresh products that vary from fish to fruits and imported cheese, vegetables to meat at whole sale rates.
Zaveri Bazar:The market is the focal point for the retail jewellery business of gold, silver and diamond. It is one of Mumbai’s most crowded areas, situated near Charni Road, Sheikh Memon Street. In 1993 the place was devastated by bomb explosions as a result of communal riots. But it recovered its old glory within a month. Its business transactions affect the Mumbai sensex. It is the place where the bullions exchange.
Dharavi Leather Market:Though Dharavi is famous as a largest slum in Asia, it produces largest leather products that exports in every part of the world. It is near Sion and its nearest railway station is also Sion.