This Charming Store Has Been Selling Handmade Home Accessories & Baby Clothes Since 1934

You have to visit The Good Companions store on Russell Street — it’s been around since before Independence selling handamde outfits and decor items.

The Good Companions was established in 1934 by a British lady to make products usually found in England available to the Brits living in India. The store was primarily for Britishers and their families. There was originally no outlet— the items were sent to British households. But due to costs of transporting the goods back and forth it was thought better to have an outlet. This was run by nuns from Christian missionaries. The first was in Chowringhee but it moved to its current Russel Street outlet a long time ago.

We were given a few pictures from the collection of one of the ladies who worked in the store back when it first opened. Take a look!

The quaint store is primarily known for selling baby clothes, bibs and throws and pretty dresses and frocks for little girls. A lot of the styles and patterns have remained the same over the years — you’ll find a lot of lace and croche. The dresses are showcased in cupboards and divided into different age groups. The dresses, depending on the detailing, range from about INR 500 to INR 1,500.

They also have unisex baby items like bibs, shoes, rompers and more.

Level up your home with these pretty decor items. Kitchen towels, home furnishings, bed linen and more: you’ll get it all. The centre of the store has a gorgeous display of the best of their collection — table cloths, napkins, tissue box covers — and it’s #homegoals. You’ll find your size and hundreds of colours and patterns.

Ask the store assistants {who have stuck around in the store for over 10 years!} to show you the shadow work embroidery — the work is so neat you won’t be able to tell which is the front and which is the back. And you just have to check out their special Christmas collection — it’s so festive and beautiful!

They have a small ladies collection hat largely stocks night gowns and other sleepwear. A collection of tops has just been introduced. The sarees are another great addition to the store. With 300 stitches in every square cm, they are supremely detailed. You can also pick up their collector’s saree borders {the price of which can go into the lakhs}. The sarees and saree borders take anything between six months to a year to make!

An interesting incident happened in the store recently. Someone {who was actually at the party!} requested them to replicte the table cloth from Prince William’s engagement party and promptly whips out a photograph of the table cloth in question! Good Companions is literally world famous for their classic British styles!