Kolkata has a niche array of craft and specialty stores; some old, some new, but each with a characteristic of its own. You could check out Sasha for a wonderful range of Dokra or drop in on Good Companions for its embroidered linen and then there’s Artisana for their rich collection of Bengal sarees. Here is our selection of some of the best shops in the city in this segment.

Artisana

To find the place could be a test of patience as you navigate the roundabout of Gokhale Street, but once there, the place is treasure-trove of Bengal craft and textiles; Artisana being the outlet of Craft Council of West Bengal. The NGO has been working with crafts persons across Bengal for years and the shop reflects the wide variety of craft the state is repository to. The store concentrates on Bengal handloom and you will find some rare collections here, including buttery soft khadi, muslin sarees and yardage in jamdani weaves. The last you don’t get easily elsewhere.

Address: 13, Chowringhee Terrace, 1st Floor, Chowringhee, Kolkata, West Bengal 700020 Phone:033 2223 9422 Hours: 11 am – 7 pm. Closed Sundays.

Biswa Bangla

An initiative of the West Bengal Govt. the shops as the name suggests presents Bengal to the world. An up-market chain of stores, it has really caught the imagination of the public. Well lit and spacious, with attractive displays; only the best of the State’s craft and textile are showcased here. With design intervention from high-end couture designers the shop provides high quality craft and clothing. They are constantly coming up with new products or reviving old and dying craft and textile by breathing new life into it. A visit to the store leaves you with a nostalgic-feel-good residue as you realize the rich textile and craft heritage of this state.

Address: 2, Gariahat Rd, Dhakuria, Kolkata, West Bengal 700068. Hours 10 am – 8 pm. Closed Sundays, at the domestic and international terminals of the NSCB Airport, Kolkata.

CIMA Store

This lovely store is tucked away inside the CIMA Gallery. Small and well laid-out, the store is known for its’ collection of cast brass items from South India, Dokra from Chattisgarh, Gond tribal paintings, Pochampalli dupattas and wonderful bedspreads in an assortment of handloom fabrics. CIMA’s collections of exquisite sarees sourced from weavers across the country are much sought after. Being attached to the gallery, the store also stocks art-related collectibles like oleographic prints and exclusive CIMA T-shirts with art-quotes. The USP of this shop is quality products at affordable price.

Address: 43, 2nd Floor, Sunny Towers, Ashutosh Chowdhury Avenue, Ballygunge, Kolkata, West Bengal 700019 Phone:033 2485 8717

Sienna

This chain store has really taken the city by storm! The most popular one is on Hindustan Road and it comes with a Café. The interior is interestingly done in recycled material. Having their own kiln in Santiniketan, the store concentrates on ceramics, using nontoxic glazes which are easy on the pocket. There are khullars with matching bowls similar to the coffee tumblers of South India; and some lovely quarter plates with alpana and Kalighat pat motifs, which nicely double-up as wall plaques. They also have an eclectic and fun range of clothes and recycled jewellery including children’s clothing.

Once done with your shopping, you can step into the café spread across the back courtyard - its’ a cool place to hang-out.

49/1 Hindustan Park. Phone:033 4000 2828. Hours: 11:30AM–8:30PM. Closed Mondays.

Kamala

Located in the wonderful precinct of The Rabindranath Tagore Centre, also known as ICCR (Indian Council for Cultural Relation), Kamala is the outlet of Craft Council of India. It stocks a wide range of textiles and crafts from the different states of India. Its USP must be the beautiful range of textiles from Assam and the North-East (which you don’t easily find elsewhere), golden Muga, milky white Paat silk of Assam and soft Erie Shawls reflects the rich textile heritage of the Frontier State. A well-stocked and beautifully laid out shop it is a pleasure to shop here. Prices are also very competitive and you can have the pleasure of knowing that all products are directly sourced from the crafts persons.

Address: 9A Ho Chi Minh Sarani. Phone: 22820763/54. Hours: 10 am – 7 pm. Closed Sundays.

Good Companions

Over the years this store has become an institution in the city. A high-end store, specializing in exquisite European embroidery using French-knot, cutwork, shadow-stitch, cross stitch, the shop stocks beautiful children’s clothing, night wear for ladies, embroidered shirts and tops, kimonos, bed and table linens, towels and paraphernalia like embroidered food-covers in net, teapot holders; items with a very English flavor, not easily available elsewhere. Like the Gothic pillars in the old houses of Calcutta, this shop is a reminder of the Raj era and the strong Anglo-Indian influence on the city.

13C Russel Street, Queens Mansion, Phone: 22290473. Hours: 10 am – 6 pm.

Women’s Friendly Society

Tucked away behind Park Street in Park Lane, in a very ramshackle British bunglow, the Society was started with the intention of providing employment to destitute Anglo-Indian women. Like Good Companions, it too specializes in European embroidery on bed and table linen and nightwear and lounging gowns for women. It has a selection of very attractive toilet bags in satin and delicately embroidered handkerchiefs that have become near collectibles by their rarity. Run by a group of volunteers who also hand knit for the Society. The workshop is on the top floor, where women are taught to embroider and tailor and you can ask for a walk through.

Address: 29, Park Ln, Park Street area, Kolkata, West Bengal Phone:033 2229 5285. Hourse 10 am – 6 pm.

Sasha

A Fair-Trade shop, for many Calcuttans’ Sasha was an eye-opener to the rich heritage of Indian craft and handloom when it first opened shop in the early 80’s. A one-stop shop for craft and Indian handloom, the beautifully laid out shop floor stocks a wide range of craft-based products and textiles. This shop is a must-visit for their fine dokra, including jewelry and a range of dyed and embossed funky leather items. What’s more, shopping here, you support Sasha’s commitment to fair, non-exploitive, trade practices.

27 Mirza Ghalib Street, Kolkata 700016. Phone:91 33 64589421 Timings: 10:00am - 7:00pm. Closed Sundays.

Club Muslin

An exclusive muslin shop under the Biswa Bangla banner, the store showcases the glory of muslin as it used to be. Located in the Dhakhinapan Shopping Complex the store has a wide gamut of muslin types from whispery ethereal fabric used for garments to a thicker variety for bed linen, cushion cover and towels. The shop is akin to a muslin museum with books on the subject and displayed samples of the different quality of muslins. So even if you don’t buy, a visit to this store is a must for the connoisseur of Indian fabrics.

Address: 2, Gariahat Rd, Dhakuria, Kolkata, West Bengal 700068. Hours 10 am – 8 pm. Closed Sundays

Manjusha

This is the Sate Govt. Emporium for Bengal handicraft and textile. There are quite a few of them dotted across the city. Before the opening of the Biswa Bangla stores these were the only Govt. shops stocking the entire gamut of Bengal crafts and textiles. Haphazard in their display, the stores are still popular as the prices are competitive and it is the best place to shop for small gifts for the folks back home.

IB-181, Sector-III, Salt Lake, Salt Lake, Kolkata, West Bengal 700091. Phone:033 2335 2979. Address: 203/1, Mahatma Gandhi Road, Satyanarayan Park, Jagmohan Mullick Lane, Raja Katra, Kolkata, West Bengal 700007. Phone:033 2271 2213

Kolkata has a niche array of craft and specialty stores; some old, some new, but each with a characteristic of its own. You could check out Sasha for a wonderful range of Dokra or drop in on Good Companions for its embroidered linen and then there’s Artisana for their rich collection of Bengal sarees. Here is our s