Lohar Chawl
“Lohar Chawl is one spot cheapest wholesale market for electronics and electrical goods in Mumbai. Hundreds of varieties of electronic products and raw material are sold by wholesale dealer’s shops regularly and during festivals at bulk discounted rates of about 30%. Lohar (Means a person in Iron Business) Chawl is a residential, grounded flat or a building which has separate tenements, which are the cheapest possible residential options in Mumbai. But with time core business (Iron related) is no more and have changed with just the name remains, like other gulli and lane names in Mumbai.

Lohar Chawl is a wholesale market for ready electronic goods and related raw materials used in making day to day electronic products required at home and businesses and also for festival decorations too. Major are wholesale dealers and many retailers in this market selling Industrial Electrical Goods, Cable and Wire Dealers, Inverter Dealers, LED Series Light sellers, Electrical Contractors, Other Hardware & Electrical Shops too.

Decades old multi-lane market still has residential in major old duplex building still going strong. Those little windows and old Parsi uncle and aunties are seen looking from height out of those windows inside market area. This combined residential and commercial market has major retail and wholesale shops on ground level and the residential are all above it. It feels really good to see those age old residents relaxing and peeping out on streets which recall me of the old time Bombay with less hustle bustle, and also think for how long will this commercial streets be blessed with such view.

Actually some 15 days to a month before (Between September and December) during seasons of major festivals of Mumbai like Ganesh festival, Diwali, Navratri, Christmas etc. the shops and lanes at Lohar chawl market are flooded with decorative electronic items like led bulb series, Candils, colorful jazzy lights, multi coloured razor lights and more. They are actually manufactured at far villages and factories of Maharashtra, Bhiwandi etc and takes advantage of seasonal & festive demand for decorative electronics by Mumbai citizens. It is that time in market when both seller and buyers are benefited.

Being a wholesale market, Lohar chawl is visited by many and major small and big retailers of Mumbai who have shops and branches around city. They purchase all required electronic products and raw material in bulk from this market getting discounts up to 30 to 35 % and more depending upon the quantity and relationship with dealers. They then sell all such products locally at higher price and earn good during festivals. Products like led lights & bulbs series, varieties of Lanterns (Candil in Hindi) seen in diwali, navratri and Ganesh festival and other electronic decorative required by interior designers in day to day for clients interior for kitchen, bathrooms, hall rooms etc. are sold by local shops and retailers around city to citizens at MRP or sometimes at higher prices too as detailed on products.

A Pro-Mumbaikar will pull out a day dealing with dealers instead of paying high cost to local retailers and explore Lohar Chawl to save a good amount for other festival products and needs. Other specialized markets of south Mumbai are also cheap on deals for various food items, clothing’s and other needed products for day to day life and during occasions and festival seasons. All such markets are connected to each other. A little time spent exploring such markets, and fun with cheap shopping deals is all yours. Yes it’s actually fun to shop and look around all such old wholesale markets for varieties of specialized products in Mumbai and not just Lohar Chawl.

Although bargaining is possible at major street shopping of Mumbai like Colaba Causeway, Linking Road at Bandra and Fashion Street at Church gate etc., Lohar Chawl being is a wholesale market, has already discounted deals and bargaining is wasting time of yours and shop keepers here.

Reaching Lohar Chawl is very simple. Nearest railway station on western railway route is Marine Lines (East) and CST at central route. Hardly 5 to 10 minutes walking distance. From those stations reach Crawford Market (5 to 7 minutes straight walk from Marine Lines Railway station, East) and exactly opposite side of road is Sheikh memon street, a market lane that goes towards Jama Masjid, Mangaldas Market & Zaveri Bazar. On very first left as you enter Sheikh Memon Street is this lane that takes you deep inside Lohar Chawl market.

Market Timings
Monday to Friday between 11:00 Am till 8:00 Pm are the shopping timings when major shops are opened. During Sundays, all markets of South Mumbai are closed. During festival seasons, although it’s very crowded at any hour, it is recommended to visit in afternoon timings between 12:30 and 3:00 and it will help lesser crowd comparatively. Also during festivals, shopping goes till little late around 10:30 with hawkers.

Zaveri Bazaar
Zaveri Bazaar is one of the most popular jewellery markets in the island city of India. One of the biggest hubs for B2B and B2C merchandizing, Zaveri Bazaar, as the name suggests, is a jewellery souk, just north of Crawford Market. Here, tourists will find thousands of small jewellery shops selling precious stones, uncut jewellery, gold, silver, brassware and even platinum jewellery. Some of the biggest jewellery brands in India have also established their stores in this crowded market. Brands such as 'Tribhovandas Bhimji Zaveri' and 'Tanishq' can be found at the Zaveri Bazaar. Over 60% of all gold trading and dealing happen at Zaveri Bazaar in Mumbai and that is a fact. With a muddle of narrow lanes and enthusiastic shoppers, this bazaar should definitely be visited at least once while in Mumbai. Zaveri Bazaar is not only known for its jewellery, but also for its archaic old-world buildings, street food and photo frames. It is worth visiting this Bazaar during the festive season, as the rates for ornaments come down and the market is always filled with multifarious hues, dazzling gold and chirpy faces.

Mumbai's Jewellery Market Architecture
The crowded sweatshops at Zaveri Bazaar are some of the oldest buildings in Mumbai. Built in the 19th century, these dilapidated buildings have witnessed the changing times, people and surroundings. However, the bazaar still manages to retain its old-world Victorian charm. Many of the buildings were designed according to Victorian-Gothic styles, which are still visible in flaky bits and pieces today. The main jewellery buildings are surrounded by local food waters and a restaurant or two.