This Store Has Beautiful Ethnic Clothes & 45 Types Of Indian Handicrafts

If you thought shopping in Goa was all about kaftans and harem pants, think again. Enter — Red Brick Shop — a store in the heart of Assagao, that brings together 45 kinds of handicrafts from across the length and breadth of the country.

Over the years, folks from various parts of the country moved and made Goa their home. Along with them, they brought to Goa, cultures and cuisines that were once native to them. One such journalist-turned-entrepreneur, Radhika, is the the mothership that drives this charming store that houses saris, dupattas, shirts, pants, bed linen, bags, jewellery — all sourced from weavers and makers from different parts of India.

Set in the mezzanine floor of a Goan-style home, the store is located in one of the narrow lanes of Assagao. Our first impression of the store was that it’s a delight to the senses — exactly how Radhika tells us she had intended - an ethereal fragrance of incense will welcome you into the store. Beautiful natural light floods the store and highlights the saris, drapes and jewellery displayed all across the store.

Radhika grew up watching her mothers and grandmothers drape saris effortlessly — a culture that she imbued and carried with her. At the store hence, you’ll find saris from 29 different states of the country, all of them sourced directly from the weavers and handpicked for the store by Radhika. She tells us that she keeps nothing at the store that she would not wear herself. 

If saris really aren’t your thing, they still have you covered. You can choose from the assortment of elegant summerwear — shirts, tops, pants, skirts and jackets, in various traditional prints, or from the huge collection of handcrafted jewellery. We fell in love with the kutchhi bags, the Kalamkari dupattas and the breezy cotton pants, and also a little with Radhika’s spunky spirit. Better still? Since she sources the stuff directly from the makers, omitting middlemen, making the products quite reasonably priced. The pants and shirts start at a mere INR 900 and go upwards of INR 5,000 for the more delectable sari, weaves and bed linen.

If Radhika’s curated collection of clothes excites you ask her about her other venture — Tripti Tiffin — a pre-order/delivery service that takes orders for exquisite dishes made with traditional recipes — everything from daab chingri (a traditional bengali delicacy of prawns slow cooked in tender coconuts) to slow cooked laal maas with three traditional ingredients, are on the offer.