Bangalore is known for its silk and sarees, sandalwood, antique pieces and jewellery shops. To get your hands on these, the places to visit are MG Road, Brigade Road and Commercial Street. Earlier KG Road and Chikpet area were known for all things clothes. The Mysore Silk Saree Udyog on Kamaraj Road is a popular haven besides Deepam, Vijayalakshmi and Nalli Silks on MG Road. All these stores have stuff to suit all pockets.
For jewellery, nothing to beat the stores on Commercial Street which have a long history in the trade. Some of the more famous ones include Ganjam Nagappa & Sons and C Krishnaiah Chetty & Sons. For readymade and customised clothes, nothing to beat Fazal & Sons and the narrow bylanes of Russel Market. For seconds stores, Marathahalli is the best. However, now every other booming neighbourhood is home to a few seconds outlets like HSR Layout and Koramangala. Antique stores are spread all over central Bangalore. From Ashok Nagar to MG Road to Indiranagar and each store revels in a certain uniqueness. From an ancient cot to a door built during the Vijayanagara times, entering these antique shops is like entering into a time machine and stepping into a distant, glorious past. Stores like Sangeeta, E-Zone, Pai, Viveks, Girias showcase all kinds of electronic goods. And then, there are many bylanes off Brigade Road that are home to many. Just be aware that there are many fakes being sold out there. If you find the price ridiculously cheap, don’t buy.
Shopping streets
Avenue Road: Anything from money lending to clothes to consumer durables, it’s all available out here. The watchword: bargain, bargain.
Infantry Road: This is home to shops selling furniture, electrical appliances, home décor items and Kashmiri arts and crafts.
SP Road: This is where you can buy all the parts needed to assemble a computer or buy a branded system. Expect the best prices. Go around different shops and pick the one that suits your budget best.
Chikpet: Expect quality clothes but at a fixed price. However, there are some shops that display the ‘Fixed price’ and still allow you to bargain. This usually happens if you buy more than two pieces.
Commissariat Road
The country’s hottest new retail spot is Bangalore’s Commissariat Road, which has a daily gross of Rs 45 million. Spaces are very limited here, but there is nearby Vittal Mallya Road to accommodate any spillage. Commissariat Road in Bangalore has seen higher sales than any other place in the country, significantly higher than NCRs Mehrauli-Gurgaon Road with Rs 36 million and Bombay’s Malad Link Road at Rs 29 million, according to The Economic Times. One reason for its success is its central location.