Designed to please

Kalamandir offers shopaholics a reason to rejoice with the opening of its 10,000 sq ft saree and jewellery store in Chikpet

What strikes you as you enter the Kalamandir store is not the dazzling collection of sarees or the gem-studded jewellery, but the extremely polite people behind the counters.

Whether you're looking for an exclusive Kanjeevaram or a handloom saree, you'll get the same courteous treatment. And if you speak the lilting Telugu that most of the staffers do, you'll feel very much at home here.

It's the warmth of the people at Kalamandir that draws everyone from the housewife on a shopping spree to Kannada film stars like Vishnuvardhan, Bharati, Puneet Rajkumar, Tara and Anu to its stores in Jayanagar, Malleswaram, MG Road, Marthahalli, and now Chikpet.

In expansion mode

The three-storied Chikpet store, which opens its doors to shoppers on February 26, bears testimony to the growth strategy that Kalamandir has been following in Bangalore, a city that the store's promoters describe as a "mixed market with a taste for traditional wear as well as designer wear."

That's why you're likely to spot heavy Kanjeevarams at their Malleswaram outlet while the MG Road boutique store has designer sarees, ghagra cholis and Indo-Western wear. "The Chikpet store will focus on women and will have sarees and jewellery, considering that Chikpet is the wholesale market for saree and jewellery shopping," says Kalyan, CEO, Kalamandir.

Something for everyone

The heart of Kalamandir is its range of sarees some even priced at over a lakh each because of the elaborate work on them. "What started as a premium saree boutique at Ameerpet in Hyderabad is now a brand with showrooms even in Columbus, USA. We are known for our dress materials, salwars, ghagras, Indo- Western and Western wear, fancy jewellery, kidswear, menswear and 916 Hallmark jewellery," explains Kalyan.

The expansion is credited to the vision of Kalamandir's chairman and managing director Prasad Chalavadi and the skills of its design and production team.

Filmi connection

The chain is proud of its association with films and film stars, in the Telugu and Kannada film industries. "In Bangalore, stars of films like Anthu Inthu Preethi Banthu, Bandhu Balaga and Anu have worn clothes and accessories from our store," says Kalyan as he prepares for the splashy launch of the 10,000 sq ft Chikpet store.u00a0

"Puneet Rajkumar and family will be at the launch. Kalamandir has a close association with the Raj Kumar family," he informs us with pride. "We are also the associate sponsors of Amrutha Mahotsavau201475 years of Kannada cinema, a gala event currently on in Bangalore," he adds.