67 Pictures of ‘Happiness’ from the Lil Flea, Mumbai

 

With no second thoughts, I have come to believe that shopping is definitely one way of achieving HAPPINESS! You do not have to buy everything. Just go out and spend an evening close to everything that you may want to have in your house. Its therapeutic!!

 

 

THE LIL FLEA

At 8 p.m. on the Sunday night, my friends asked me to get ready and declared that it was time for some fun shopping. I had just returned from an all day blogging workshop and thus was tired. I made all excuses to cancel the outing but they did not budge from their decision. One of them said, ‘It is the last day and you must check it out’. You must cover it on the blog. I thought it was the last day of my 11 day trip to Mumbai. Next day, I was supposed to fly back home. What last day, I asked? And I don’t write about shopping, plzzz…

They were not listening to me and thus I was instructed not to ask too many questions. Just get ready because we are going to the ‘Lil flea market’ was all that I could hear in unison. Get your camera and your wallet, you will need both. Heading to a crowded market was the last thing on my mind and thus I was not at all excited at the idea. To find more reasons not to go, I irritated them more. ‘Where are we headed? Lets not go far. I am not eating out. I want a home cooked dinner please. And  I have a flight to catch tomorrow, I want to sleep early.
Its not even fifteen minutes away…pat came the reply.
As far as I knew there were only two shopping malls close-by. I was putting up in Ghatkopar West. It was centrally placed between Kurla City Mall and R city Mall. And at this hour on a holiday, nothing could be 15 minutes away.

I declared, I am not going to the shopping malls. Hope you know it.  Another one said, we are only going to BKC, its not far. And we will back as soon as you say. Just come along, you will love the quirky stuff there.

 

With not much to say, I agreed. Paying no heed to their advice I did not carry my camera but the mobile phone. I had no idea what I was going to miss.  Honestly, once I was inside the Lil Flea market, I wanted to capture almost everything about it.  It was all so colorful and creative. Some awesome stuff was curated there. Every stall had a unique merchandise to sell. In less than ten minutes, I was sure I was not returning home soon. Rather, I was all charged up to walk around every stall.

 

 

 

 

What is LIL FLEA?

I would call it a place where creativity oozes in abundance. This is the place to encounter new and quirky brands. More than 200 + pop up shops were showcased at one place. And there were a variety of items such as bags, clothes, stationery, footwear, dresses, bags, accessories, gourmet,ice-cream, furniture, handicraft, chunky jewelry, lamps, artifacts, arts & craft, antiques, pottery, pet-related, home décor, food and more to choose from. Mind it, there wasn’t anything run-of-the-mill. It was a riot of colors and funky stuff.

 

As I walked around, I learnt more about the concept and theme of the market. I was told that Lil flea is a free-spirited platform meant for all those who find their solace in creation and innovation. This place welcomes young and interesting brands to showcase their style statements. It was so inspiring to see artists, mavericks, outliners, designers, chefs, startups together at one place.

 

I walked around, talked to the owners, introduced myself as a blogger and bought some cool stuff. On the other hand, I was met with lovely smiles, great conversations and interesting concepts. It felt so wonderful to see the young brigade do so well. The average age of most of the owners of the stalls was between 20 to 30.  Most of them were active on social media. Their companies had their Facebook page and Instagram profiles intact and their business was flourishing through word of mouth and such exhibitions. Here we are talking about pro-social media generation. I could connect with each of them so well. My eyes had appreciation for the rough, not so neat, hand made banners too. I loved the personal touch and the customization element with every stuff. At one point of time, I wanted to shout out loud- ‘Whoa!!! This is awesome! We have amazing talent in the country’. 

 

I insist you must see all the pictures below because each of them is interesting.The pictures were shot from my phone- Microsoft Lumia 640 XL. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

OUR SHOPPING BAG

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I really did not want to leave the shopping ground but it was already 11 p.m. and the three day fest in its last hours. Every body seemed cheerful and happy. Must say, it is a great initiative to place great talent at one place. In 3 hours I was introduced to so many young and thriving brands and it was a pleasure discovering them all. I have dedicated this post for the young brigade of artistic India. Do catch up these shops on their Facebook pages. This was the fifth edition of the flea market. After April and October, the third one will happen during December. If you are in Mumbai, you must do it.

 

Happy Shopping!!