The Mondals sell the unique magar-puchh dhoti for men at Rs 375. pics/anjana vaswani
Venue for commerce
Most of their business comes from regulars, and relocating is unthinkable for families that run some of South Mumbai's oldest stores. For some, the shops even double up as homes. Anjana Vaswani takes you through the unique shopping experience that lies beneath Mumbai's staircases
If you have no time to visit Kolkata
Staircase at: Hughes Road
Chemistry graduate from Bhavan's College, Alpana Mondal has grown up under the stairs at Kapur Mansion, a residential buildings at Hughes Road. This is where she lives with her mother and brother, and runs Tanushree, a family business set up in 1966. A bed, television, refrigerator and shelves stocked with crisp Dhakai and Vishnupuri sarees, is what you'll see when you drop in, with Alpana offering you a stool to be comfortable on.
"We are a family of farmers from West Bengal," says Alpana, telling us that the authentic Bengali wares they stock, are either sent by family members from Bengal or bought during annual visits. "We visit Kolkata every two years to meet family, and replenish stocks," says Alpana.
What do they sell: Authentic handloom and tant sarees in Tangali, Dhakai, Vishnupuri and Shantiniketan style (Rs 450 onwards). Check out their conch-shell-bangles (Rs 350 for a pair) and red, pola bangles (Rs 65 for a pair), that form an essential part of the traditional make-up of Bengali brides. Alta, a vermilion liquid that's applied on the feet of brides, is hard to come by in Mumbai. You get it here for Rs 25 a box.
At: Kapur Mansion, Ground floor, 47, Hughes Road. Call: 9819292636 / 23683012
The Weaver bird's nest
Staircase at: Dhobi Talao
Anil Basketwala, 35, works at a cable shop through the day but stays true to his surname every evening, and on Sundays, when he crafts cane goods. It's been a family tradition for generations. His great grandfather, who worked at the post office, set up this shop at Jambulwadi Corner on JSS Road, when he was just fifteen. A lady emerges from the crevice below the staircase, eyeing us cautiously before she eventually settles down by the entrance to start work on a basket. That's Anil's mother Dayadevi, and though she greets us with a meek, tobacco-stained smile, her incoherent mumble suggests she's not altogether pleased with business. The expression in her gray eyes betrays her frustration with the fact that all the years of basket-weaving have yielded her little more than an unduly arched spine and aching knees.
"In the old days, this area was residential, occupied by Parsis and Christians. Both communities patronised the craft. The commercial growth in the area has affected business adversely, with offices replacing residential blocks," says Anil. But he's looking forward to the festive season. "During Christmas, we get a lot of orders from Christian families in the neighbourhood. They buy baskets and trays to make a gift hamper."
What do they sell: A variety of cane goods like lampshades (Rs 100 onwards), jhilmils (Rs 30 per square foot), trays (Rs 75 onwards), laundry baskets (Rs 150 onwards), shelves and shoe racks (Rs 125 onwards).
You can reach the Basketwalas on: 93248 11084
More than six decades on these stairs
Seventy year-old Namoobai sits at the bottom of the stairs at Grant Road station. She's sat here all her life, selling flowers with daughter Rupa. The venis (hair garlands) are sold at Rs 5 a piece, and loose flowers for devotees of a temple nearby; one she's never visited. "Maruti ka mandir hai, shayad (It's a Hanuman temple, perhaps)," she guesses, telling us her day starts and ends at the bottom of the stairs. And though her daughter, now 30, works at Palghar, little if anything has changed in their lives in the last few decades.
Buy a book while you light up
Staircase at: Fort
Remember the old days, when you had the freedom to light-up in public places? This shop's business was almost hinged on that right. Though the shop's 76 year-old proprietor, Suleiman Botawala, who started the bookstore in 1968, and registered it at the cost of Re 1, wasn't around when we got there, generations of South Mumbai residents have fond memories of Smokers' Corner.
At one end of Phirozeshah Mehta Road, in the no-frills lobby of the same building that houses Kotak Mahindra bank, you'll find shelves, aisles and racks full of books and magazines that employees from the neighbourhood browse through, during lunch break. With paan and cigarette stalls positioned right outside, the shop is a tea-ciggie break hang-out, and an adda for book-lovers who love bargains.
"We have old books mostly, and loads of second-hand titles," says Babaso Patel, the 28 year-old, who's been working here for a year. Last month's issues of Glamour, Cosmopolitan and Vanity Fair, are strung up over one stall at the entrance, marked with a modest "Rs 20" price tag.
What do they sell: Magazines, novels authored by Steve Martini, Iris Johansen and Stephen Coonts among others, sell for a modest Rs 50, and giant-sized, kids' activity books command Rs 20. The store also stocks famous biographies, and self-help titles.
At: Botawala Chambers, Phirozeshah Mehta Road, Fort. Call: 22614060
Wedding photos and shaadi sounds
Staircase at: Fort
It was 40 years ago that the Bhatia family set up Neelam, a mini-studio under the stairs of Rukhsana Manzil at King Lane, Fort. "My father and grandfather, a hand-printer-photographer, ran the business," says Haresh Chandiram Bhatia. The business has grown over the years and the family now owns a recording studio in Mahim too, that Bhatia's son supervises.
As we peep into a cubbyhole behind a large printer, we find the sliver-thin space occupied by a desk covered with hi-tech equipment, which Bhatia explains is used for, "editing, mixing and transferring work." Two employees seem content occupying seats in the chewing gum slim work area.
What do they sell: Neelam studio offers mixing, transferring and editing services at Rs 350 per hour. Bhatia also designs special effects for wedding videos. His disc is available for Rs 50, and is often sold in Kenya, Singapore, Dubai, and the United States, where NRI demand is high. Local photographers pick up his disc to create wedding videos and albums for Indian clientele, abroad.
At: Rukhsana Manzil, 18 King Lane, Fort. Call: 9820168932 / 22634747
Time stands still at PM Road
Staircase at: Fort
Fifty four year-old Manohar Kewalramani is perhaps the only Sindhi gentleman we've encountered, without the will to sell. "I don't want more business," he tells us, when we ask him about his watch-repair service at Greenwich Time. "I have a regular set of clients and I work alone, so, I don't think I can handle any more business," he says from his seat in the recess under the staircase of building number 23 on Phirozeshah Mehta Road.
Sitting beside him is close friend Sham Bhatia, who says Kewalramani has been running the show since 1955.
"His father had rented the shop from a Parsiâ¦" he says, then shaking his head, adds, "...or perhaps an Irani gentleman named Rustomjee. Back then, the building was called Mehervaan. Manohar's father didn't actually bother to ensure that the papers were in order. So, my friend has been in and out of court, trying to establish his ownership."
Smiling fondly as he tells us that his father paid a piddly rent of Rs 64, back in 1955, Kewalramani says the current rent is Rs 98 a month, but since the landlord refuses to recognise his right to the shop, he doesn't have the will to maintain it.
What do they sell: A small range of clocks are available here, but Kewalramani is primarily into repairing and servicing wrist watches. He charges Rs 90 for automatic watches, Rs 70 for others.
At: Greenwich Time, building no. 23, PM road, Fort. Open only between 1 pm and 7 pm, Monday to Saturday
Shops that were once showcases
Staircase at: Fort
Glass boxes and shelves which used to function as showcases for the wares of building tenants, were turned into shops. The Parekh family bought one in 1947, and named it United Cloth Store, says 42 year-old Ketan Parekh. Parekh doesn't know much about how the landscape has changed since his father, Kirti, ran the place. "There are a lot of new shops now, but regulars keep our business going. Tourists bring in some business too", says Parekh, whose clients include office-goers and government employees who work around the area. "The cotton collection is priced at Rs 180 onwards, while the silk sarees start at Rs 250.
What do they sell: They stock ethnic cotton sarees and unstitched salwar-kameezes, and a small selection of silk sarees. They charge Rs 80 if you want to get the salwar suit you pick here, stitched to measurement.
At: Ground floor of LIC building, PM Road, Fort. Open from 10 am to 7.30 pm, Monday to Saturday. Call: 22856126
Chikan dealer among diamond traders
Staircase at: Opera House
Though the area is known as the diamond traders' hub, wedged under the staircase of Purshottam Building at Opera House, a Jain man has been conducting his considerably more economical business for over 40 years. "It is a family business," reveals Virendra Kumar Jain, remembering a time when they were engaged in exporting Lucknowi Chikankari kurtas to foreign countries. "Now, there is no demand for them abroad," laments the 61 year-old.
Though he admits that business doesn't generate much income these days, Jain says he would never relocate. "I have no overheads here," he says, explaining, either he or Manju usually man the till. "I can offer my clients a good price because of the cost-effectiveness of this store," says Jain. What he sells for Rs 200 is priced double at fancier stores next door, he claims.
What do they sell: Chikankari kurtis (Rs 250 onwards), children's kurtis (Rs 80 onwards), salwar kameezes and churidar kameezes for women, kurta-pyjamas for men (Rs 450 onwards).
At: Jain's Lucknow Chikan House, Purshottam Building, 7 New Queen's Road, opposite Opera House theatre
