Meher Chand Market closes in on famous neighbours

First came a brand of sports goods,then a Café Coffee Day outlet opened and,suddenly,the floodgates,it seemed,had opened: a string of showrooms popped up all over.

Besides the big brands,specialised ventures like traditional wear,home décor and cutlery shops have also found home in the market.

Nandita Virmani,assistant manager at one of the newest showrooms in the market,Ochre,finds an echo of Hauz Khas Village in the market’s growth story: “From being a relatively unknown place,the Lodhi Road market has become a well-known location. Once a shop opens,another follows suit; and before you know it,the area turns into a big market.”

Market association president Ashok Kumar Sakhuja says the “best part” about the market is the availability of parking space on both sides of the road.

Besides,the pavement are getting a makeover to increase parking space,he adds.

“This market is also easily accessible,” he says. “Over the last few years,people from even far off places like Rajouri Garden and Safdarjung Enclave have started coming in,though most of our patrons are still from areas close by.”

But as the market becomes chic with showrooms,the traditional businesses are slowly dying out. Once famous for its tailors,old-timers say there were as many as 75 tailoring shops at one point.

Kailash Chandra,a tailor working here for the last four decades,says people came even from Chandigarh to get clothes stitched.

Now,he says,barely ten such shops exist,“and even they would find it hard as the rents go up”.