Guide for Buyers!!!

Buy

Handicraft

• The Cauvery Arts & Crafts Emporium, 45 M G Road, +91 80 2558-1118, is a large store, offering a wide selection of some of Karnataka's best hand made products. The carvings made of Mysore sandalwood are an especially good buy.
• Central Cottage Industries Emporium (CCIE), M G Road - A government run store promoting traditional Indian hand crafts. The CCIE has major outlets in New Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta, Bangalore and Chennai.
• Royal Arts & Crafts, 21 K.H. Road, +91 80 2248-4797 has a particularly wide selection of silk carpets and paper mache products.
• Karnataka State Handicrafts Development Corporation, 45 K.S.H.D.C Complex, M.G.Road, +91 80 2558-1118 - specializes in Karnataka handicraft.
  

Books

• The Strand book stall, 1st Floor, Manipal Centre, Dickenson Road, +91 80 2558-0000, Best known for the latest releases in art, design, architecture and all at good prices.
• Gangarams, 72 M G Road, +91 80 2558-6743, +91 80 2558-7277. Four floors crammed with books makes this book store one of the largest (as well the most organized) book store in India.
• Higginbothams, 68 M G Road, +91 80 2558-7359, +91 80 2558-6574 - a good selection of maps, postcards, guides and novels
• Premier Book Shop, 46/1 Church Street (off M G Road), +91 80 2558-8570. Is a venerable Bangalore institution that has books on every conceivable subject literally stacked from floor to ceiling. Although the store may appear to be utterly chaotic, the owner knows where every piece of his stock lies - just be careful with those elbows, a slight nudge and the whole place will come tumbling down!
• Landmark, In Forum Mall on Luskar Hosur Road, Koramangala, +91 80 2206-7777 / 78 / 80 - a modern bookshop. A good place to pick up the most recent publications. Various household appliances; CDs and DVDs of music albums, computer and video games (the quality varying from time-to-time) and movies can also be found on the next floor.
• Blossoms, near Coconut Grove Restaurant, Church Street (parallel to MG Road),+91 80-2559733,+91 80-25320400 - For those dreamy old books, there are 3 full floors of them. You definitely won't leave be disappointed.
• Select Bookshop, off Brigade Road Behind Curzon Court Hotel, Brigade Road - Used to be the only old bookstore. Mr Murthy, who runs the bookstore, is one of the most knowledgeable people. His grandfather started the bookstore. He also has a collection of lithographs, stained glass paintings and collectors copies of antique books.
• Oxford Book Store, At the Leela Galleria (next to Hotel Leela Palace) - Has some of the latest collection of books and magazines but, doesn't offer any discounts. It has a Cha Bar attached offering 69 blends of tea.
• Tata Book House, At the Indian Institute of Science, Malleswaram - Has a large collection of technical books, on which it offers a flat 20 percent discount. Lots of books in a small place. Also worth visiting just because it is in IISc.
• Bangalore Book shop, on 17th cross,Margosa Road Malleswaram has a wide range of books on Technical and other books spread over 5000 sq fts.This is one of the best places to buy books in Malleswaram. This is owned by the same people who run Tata Book House, above.
• Streelekha, This is a great bookstore to explore the feminist literature and activism that is being produced in India, as well as other texts on the research and work of Indian NGOs. The atmosphere is relaxing and inviting. The bookstore is located at 33/1-9, Thyagaraja Layout in Jaibharath Nagar, telephone: 91 80 25492783.
• Sapana Book House, This is a large bookstore on 3rd Main road, near Kamat Yatri Nivas, Gandhi Nagar (Walking distance from Majestic Bus stand). They also have branches in Sadashivnagar and Jayanagar.
  

Shopping

Many visitors come to Bangalore searching only for sandalwood carvings and silk sarees and so miss out on the true Bangalore shopping experience. Here is a low down on shopping - Bangalore style:
The M.G Road/Brigade Road area is the most popular place for tourists, and these two roads are filled with shops of every kind, whether it be traditional handicrafts or the latest western wear (this is especially true for Brigade Road).
Bannerghatta Road a tiresome approach it used to be (sounds yodaish)...but now it's much better..and you have 'Grasshopper' a space that exhibits clothing design from the most experimental designers in india and also showcases other ideas - lighting design, products, theatre, music - an open space for expression! and if that's too boring, you can keep driving and you have a thousand ways that you can take to enjoy the wildlife and the myriad resevoirs strewn across the area - you can still find your very own private haven. Enjoy

Brigade Road was used to be where once British soldiers bought their necessities. How things have changed! Today Brigade road is the centre of yuppie Bangalore, you'll see hordes of college students on the road anytime of day or night. Some of the stores on Brigade Road include: Planet M (a huge music store with everything), Louis Phillipe, Pepe Jeans, Levis,Lee, SanFrisco Jeans, Nike, Titan (great Indian made watches) just to name a few... There are also many eateries on either side of the roads and on the side roads that lead of Brigade road, so that you can refuel yourself for shopping! There are your fast food outlets: KFC (right at the entrance), Pizza Hut at the other end of the road and many cafes including the Indian Coffee Chain Cafe Coffee Day.Also includes a Tattoo parlor.

Commercial Street a legacy of the British is another shopping mecca that sells international brands (similar to Brigade road) along side locally produced items. Commercial Street has more of a bazaar feel than Brigade Road. In addition, it is famous for its tattoo and body piercing centers. The price of goods here is very competitive and it is a great place to pick a bargain.

Malls in India are a recent phenomenon, the first opened back in 1999, since then there has been a boom with malls around every corner in large cities (now also in smaller cities). Bangalore is no exception! Here is list of the major Malls in Bangalore, but beware that there are at least a dozen in the planning and construction stages!

Forum ('The Mall') These days no trip to Bangalore is complete without a visit to the Forum on Hosur road in the upmarket suburb of Koramangla, which is fast becoming the shopping hub of Bangalore ready to throw the M.G/Brigade Road area of its throne. Again like other shopping areas, you can find anything at the Forum, high international brands such as Tommy Hilfiger, Swarovski Crystals to traditional Indian Khadi clothing at the Khadder. Other brands with outlets include: United Colours of Bennetton (much cheaper here than in the west), Pepe Jeans U.K, William Penn, Wrangler Jeans, Weekender and of course Nike. The Forum incorporates the clothing from international brands as well as haute couture boutiques including: Mustard, Isis, B and the Chai shop. For books head straight to Landmark and huge store has everything from books to perfumes and music. On the top floor of the mall you will find a PVR multiplex comprising 11 cinemas. For eating there is everything, Fast food (KFC, McDonalds, Pizza Hut, Subway) Cafe Coffee Day and a food court with world cuisines including: Chinese, Vietnamese, Mexican and Italian and Indian. Not to be missed is the Indian cusine at Sahib Sindh Sultan and the British style pub, Firangi Pani. So that is a forum for all your shopping needs under one roof! Its just a must see, especially the outside.

Garuda Mall Located on the corner of McGrath and Commissariat Roads, is the newest mall in Bangalore. This Mall is definitely catered to the upper class of Indian society. Many of the same brands as Forum are available as well as some that are not. One of the major draw points of this mall is that it houses the Indian department chain store: Shoppers Stop, which once stood across the road as a separate building but is now part of this new mall. The Mall also houses a INOX cinema multiplex on the top floor.

Bangalore Central Opened around the same as the Forum, Bangalore Central is more of a large department store than a mall with separate retailers. It still is must visit for shoppers in Bangalore. It is located in city centre on the corner of M.G and Residency Roads (Opposite Mayo Hall), so unlike the Forum it is walkable distance to the main M.G/Brigade Roads shopping area. It has a huge range of everything (like department stores in the west), clothing (Indian and Western brands), electronics, perfumes, accessories as well as a supermarket on the top floor and food court plus a Cafe Coffee Day. They have a altering service with in the store and can be done in two hours depending on the rush.

Safina Plaza Is sale central in Bangalore, located on Infantry Road. Every week there is sale going on of any type. One week it might be home furnishings and the next men's wear. Good place to find some bargains. Many exhibitions are also held here, although there are retailers (Dockers, Lee Jeans, Titan too name a few) here too. So for quiet shopping come here (much less crowded than the other malls). Its best to visit during end of season sales (summer, monsoon) or during festivals (New Year, Christmas, Ganesh Chaturthi).

Sampige Road,Malleswaram Tired of going to mall, and indulging in window shopping.Try Sampige (a flower name) Road. Sampige Road is the heart of Malleswaram and connects Sheshadripuram to IISc.Sampige Road is around 2kms,has a wide range of shops that sells books, electronic items, silk sarees, handicrafts, cloth materials, Hindu pooja materials, sweets and all the trivial things you can buy on earth. Also try Malleswaram 8th cross on Sampige road(aptly named Brigade Road of Malleswram) for a vibrant shopping experience.Sampige Road is also home to best flower market and fruits market in Bangalore. If you are tired of going to individual shops you can go for the best departmental stores in Bangalore like Fabmall, foodworld, Nilgiris.

Marathahalli Main Road and Factory Outlets Located a distance from central Bangalore (although not difficult to reach), is Marathahalli (a village in a previous life). The main road of this suburb is now a haven for factory outlets for all major brands: Nike, Adidas, Pepe Jeans, Killer Jeans, Louis Phillipe, Levi's, Reebok etc.. You can expect prices here to be cheaper than in the Malls, at least 20-30% price difference but can be up to 50% cheaper when it comes to some of the major denim brands! As if India wasn't cheap enough. Although this is the best place to go to for factory outlet shopping, there are smaller factory outlets scattered across the city. Also look out for sales held by the major brands to get rid of end of season stock (again end of summer or end of monsoon), these are usually advertised in newspapers or look for signs posted on major roads.
Metro shopping mall Near Yashwanthpura railway station and ISKON temple.

Lifestyle near Globus/Garuda Mall
This two-storey store is located in the heart of the new mall shopping district with malls like Garuda Mall, Bangalore Central and Globus, all within easy walking distance and was one of the most coveted stores until the malls came along. It's an easy place to go shopping when you don't want too many options to confuse you or when you're tired and don't want to visit too many shops - you can get everything under one roof here. Good for clothes, cosmetics, watches, jewellery, shoes etc. You also get stylish furniture and other home and living items for a decent price.

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