Chances are, you haven’t yet taken the metro in Mumbai. Plying from Versova to Ghatkopar and back, it’s an air-conditioned saviour in more than one way. On one Friday night, we stumbled across the stalls which had been set up inside the Ghatkopar Metro Station, and discovered everything from jars of pickle to chunky jewellery.
X5 Market – as its called- is a 4 day market that happened every week from Thursdays to Sundays 10am to 10pm. Here’s the best of what we found.
The market, surprisingly, has decent options for clothes shopping, ranging from colourful cotton-printed kurtis and scarves. We found Sonia Selection to be the best stand-out. Sonia, who’s from New Delhi, also showcases her Rajasthani prints and bohemian shirts at Dilli Haat.
Contact: Sonia Selection, +91 8976155491
Price: Tops for INR 350 upwards
Just next to Sonia Selection, we found a stall with phone covers in abundance. We decided to check it out. It had all sorts of phone covers for all sorts of phone types. From really quirky ones with beautiful glittery women in gowns, to witty one-liners. But our best two picks were one with the Harry Potter caricature standing next to the Eiffel Tower {because why not?} and a colourful one with a dreamcatcher on it. The stall also has phone covers for INR 100 – which we immediately got put on our badly scratched phones.
Contact: Mohammad Saddam +919867951875
Price: INR 100 for the plain ones, INR 250 upwards for the designer ones
Walking around, we also saw a couple of stalls for really pretty junk jewellery. This stall is right next to the stairs for the Metro exit, by the name Jaipur Jolly. Manned by a friendly person, this stall had plenty to offer – from brass to gold and silver-plated jewellery. We picked up a gorgeous neck piece {for the glamorous night outs} and a set of huge chunky earrings. We also decided to throw in a chunky gold bracelet.
Contact: Jaipur Jolly, +918652143160
Price: Bracelet for INR 50, neck piece for INR 200 and earrings for INR 150 upwards
Apart from the on-the-go Dominoes that are stationed at every station, this market offered a lot of varieties. From pickle stalls to stalls selling all sorts of sweets and savouries {all home-made}. We stopped by the pickle stall as it looked really enticing. Konkan Coast, as it’s named, had at least 20 different types of homemade pickles. We tasted chutney pickle, mango pickle, chili, sweet mango and so much more.
Price: INR 70 for 250 grams for the usual pickles, and INR 60 for sweet mango, lasoon, and others.
Adding to the market mood, employees of Natural Streets for Performing Artists {NSPA} were playing delightful music, upping the otherwise mundane routine seen at the metro station. They often play there, so if you’re in for shopping whilst listening to live music, go here.