THE BANGALORE USER MANUAL

SHOPPING

The weather is always delightful, the streets always tree-lined and this allows for a most relaxed shopping day out in Bangalore, literally any day of the week. There are sights to see, bric-à-brac to gather, food and drinks to consume and the reason you are on this page, the shops. Colourful, trendy, up to date and even artsy, the streets of Bangalore speak with élan. Look around you and you will see that people in Bangalore rock a noticeable, love-it-or-love-it style. Did you see the girl with that top with printed music notes, which she has paired smartly with a flowing skirt and a denim jacket? It’s from a wardrobe built from the shops of Bangalore. So here’s a guide on where and what to buy… we know we only scratch the surface but these pages are great advice from Explocity - the local expert.

THE SHOPPING HUBS

CENTRAL BANGALORE

The main shopping hub of Bangalore is the city centre, specifically MG Road, Brigade Road and most importantly, Commercial Street. All these areas are within walking distance of each other and have formed the city’s traditional shopping district, home mainly to garment brands, independent shops, tailors. 

Commercial Street

The “street” has over 100 stores selling a variety of garments, accessories, jewellery and luggage ranging from luxury items to bargain basement ware. The by-lanes of Commercial Street (such as Ibrahim Sahib Street) are a fashion-DIY paradise. You will find tons of little stores that sell buttons, ribbons, sequins, coloured materials that allow you to define your keen sense of style.

MG Road

“South Parade” during the Raj, this was a promenade and shopping locale for the Cantonment’s senior British officers and their wives. Shops here were (and continue to be) larger and stately. MG Road is the starting point for anyone “doing” Bangalore.

Brigade Road

Just off MG Road, Brigade Road is where the young and the funky go to shop. It used to be the hangout for the younger and more rowdy British officers and that still characterises the street. Brigade Road is great for footwear shopping and little street vendors selling funky jewellery on street sides. 

Church Street, off Brigade Road, sports a large number of restaurants and bars and presents a distraction from shopping… assuming one needs to be distracted.

INDIRANAGAR (East)

Conveniently connected by a short Metro ride from MG Road is the city’s new hip locale for shopping, restaurants and nightlife - Indiranagar. A quiet residential neighbourhood only a decade ago,  the area’s main drag, 100 Foot Road is a major commercial centre. A tree-canopy covered road, it is easily doable on foot, even if it spans over a couple of kilometers. The street is filled wall to wall with great shops ranging from the swish to quirky to kitsch. The road and its attendant streets are filled with a great selection of hip restaurants, clubs, bars and coffee shops. It is the new nightlife hub of Bangalore. You could spend from lunch to late at night on this street without a spare moment.

MALLS

There are a surprising number of malls in the city, distributed evenly across the city. While many of them immediately attracted international or upscale brands, the shops include home brew establishments and an increasing number of ethnic players. The malls are nice places to hangout and mostly, have on offer a good selection of restaurants.

LUXURY SHOPPING

Luxury remains exclusive and small and easily found in a few areas. Vittal Mallya Road sports most of the internationally best known luxury stores and a concentration of them can be found in the UB City’s The Collective. 100 Foot Road is increasingly seeing a few luxury brands setting up shop. Indian or ethnic luxury products are generally silks and jewellery and these are generally traditional stores run by family over generations.

THE OLD MARKETS

THE PETEs

Pronounced “pay-tays”, the word means market centre. The area near City Market was established by the city’s founder Kempe Gowda I, over 475 years ago and it was the original city of Bangalore. Composed of several petes, each pete was home to a specific trade, and by association, a specific community (and by further association a specific caste). Tharagupete for grains, Balepete for bangles and musical instruments and Chickpet and Nagarthpet for textiles are examples. These areas are interesting to visit; note that they can be extremely crowded and not exactly set up for the amusement of tourists. If adventurous, ask to be taken to “City Market'' or “Avenue Road''.

CITY MARKET (also KR MARKET)

Located near Tipu Sultan’s Summer Palace, the area is said to have been an 18th century battlefield. Established in early in the last millennium, the market claims it is home to Asia’s largest flower market. 

RUSSELL MARKET

Located in the heart of Shivajinagar in the Cantonment, the market was set up to meet the needs of the largely British, or western oriented, population of the Cantonment. It is still the place to buy what are called “English vegetables”, ie., that are not ethnic to India, such as broccoli, zucchini and brussel sprouts. The market buzzes early in the morning with flower growers and farmers delivering their produce to the shops. The narrow streets around Russell Market lead up to Commercial Street are filled with pedestrians, tiny stores and rock the old market vibe.

WHAT TO BUY

SILKS and HANDICRAFT

Although industrial sericulture was introduced as recently as in 1898 into Bangalore (by Jamshedji Tata), Mysore silk has been a traditional business for several years before and has become an famous as India’s main shopping destination for silk sarees. Although silk shops around MG Road and Commercial Street cater mainly to Indian women buying sarees and other ethnic wear, tourists have bought silks and used them variously, as kurtis, shawls, stoles, scarves or even wall decoration. Silks have made Bangalore the destination for trousseau shopping.

The handicraft stores on MG Road and Brigade Road are great for souvenirs from India. Tchotchkes made from sandalwood and handmade lacquered toys from nearby Channapatna are favourites.

COFFEE

More than half the coffee grown in India comes from the Kodagu region of Karnataka, making Bangalore the coffee capital of India. Both Arabica and Robusta varieties are grown here and make their way into the export market as a component in blends. The Coffee Board of India conducts workshops from time to time. (indiacoffee.org).

SANTES

Sante (“saan-tay”) means market festival. In Bangalore, the Soul Sante is like an upscale flea market and gives local designers and other talent a platform. The santes are held usually on weekends and holidays and also feature food and live music.

THE QUIRKY

Because Bangalore is home to a diverse ethnicity that is educated, well travelled and with a large component of well paid professionals, the city can afford space for the quirky and the kitsch. There are surprising stores to be found on 100 Ft Road in Indiranagar and the Church Street area. These are best found by wandering.

BOOKS

Church Street is a bookworm’s paradise. Gangaram’s Book Bureau, Blossom, Goobe’s and Variety Bookstore are all located in Church Street and fight to keep the book tradition alive. A short walk away, off Brigade Road is Select Bookstore - where you get antiquarian books.