I have always been fascinated by Arts and Artifacts since childhood. I guess its from my Mom’s genes that I inherit this fascination, as she is an artist and always creating new artifacts. Growing in my career in Bangalore, whenever I used to go back home to my home town Vijayawada, I would always go for shopping for interesting artifacts which my Mom and Dad would appreciate. One place where I found the best artifacts and gifts in reasonable price range (as I was still new in my career and earning very less!) was The Bombay Store on MG Road at it’s old location before the promenade on MG road was destroyed for the Metro. I felt very bad when I knew the old location of Bombay Store got closed on MG road. So when I heard that it reopened on 1 MG road mall in Bangalore, I was happy and wanted to check it out for myself!
As I was selected for the Tour de Store of The Bombay Store on 1 MG Road in Bangalore via The Bombay Store Facebook page, I went there last Saturday at around 5.30pm and started tweeting live pictures of the tour on my Twitter page mentioning The Bombay Store twitter handle. The entrance was really pleasant with lot of bright and vibrant colors which you can see below.
What caught my attention immediately on entering the store was the fact that it is very spacious and is well lit so that all the artifacts can be displayed prominently and it creates a feel of entering a museum which has culture inside each and every piece there! The pleasant look of the store was complimented by cheerful sales people who made us comfortable at the store.
I liked the fact that there were different sections for each of the artifacts and gifts in the store which made the selection process easier and also didn’t need the customer to depend on the sales people to find out where they would get what they want.
One section was completely dedicated to Aromas & Candles. The objective of this section of the store was so that we could discover aromas hidden inside scented candles, incense sticks and aroma oils. This part of the store was really very fragrant and inviting.
Talking about fragrances, another very fragrant section of the store was the Tea section which had hand-picked tea from the best tea gardens of India like Assam, Munnar, Ooty, etc. There were not just popular flavors of teas but also exotic blends and rare flavors!
If you ever hosted guests at your house, you would understand how difficult it is to impress them with the silverware and cutlery. The Bombay Store comes to your rescue here as you have a variety of napkins, place mats, table runners, tablecloths, crockery and other dining accessories by which you can add elegance and beauty to your dining table.
Have you ever faced the problem of not knowing how to decorate your house walls? Empty walls do look drab and spoil the look and feel of a wonderful home. The Bombay Store comes to your rescue here too as they have frames which range from Dokra to Madhubani to Brass & Wood art which can adorn your walls.
One of my favorite sections of The Bombay Store at 1 MG Road, Bangalore was The Elephant Company section which has signature Bombay Store products with the branding of an Elephant which is a symbol of the store. You will be spoiled for choice here as you have many products like Mugs, Coasters, Magnets, Clocks, Frames, T-Shirts and Stickers with the Elephant symbol which The Bombay Store is known for.
I liked the fact that The Bombay Store embedded elements of local culture in their store and into their merchandise too. I really loved the nod they gave to parts of  Bangalore culture like Namma Metro, Bangalore Palace, Cubbon Park & Temples in the following mementos like Trays, Coasters, Mugs, Mouse Pads, etc. Who wouldn’t love to own these collectibles?!!
Clocks were visible throughout the store whether they were in the colonial style or in Mughal Motifs. I had an irresistible feeling to pick up a clock to decorate my home and make it feel grander with it.
Finally two products which I really liked at The Bombay Store..
A Bookmark in Metal in the shape of India map which really caught my eye as I have only seen paper bookmarks till now. This seemed like a wonderful gift to give a foreigner who visits India for the first time!
A bag with the imprint of the painting of the last emperor of India – Bahadur Shah Zaffar – floored me as it would me a classy gift to people who are interested in the history and preserving the culture of our country.
One pleasant surprise was waiting for all of us bloggers at the end of the Tour-De-Store – a newsprint umbrella as a gift from The Bombay Store! It was a thoughtful gift as the monsoon is just upon us and carrying this cool umbrella would make you stand out from the crowd compared to other drab umbrellas!
I would not be doing justice to my blog post about The Bombay Store if I don’t pay tribute to the founding father of the store – Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak who started the Swadeshi movement in India! His contribution by starting the Bombay Swadeshi Store on 17th December 1906 won’t be forgotten in a hurry! I’m very impressed that The Bombay Store is keeping the tradition of Swadeshi and the dream of Lokmanya Tilak alive by creating amazing products from India itself!
