Jose Feliciano’s Feliz Navidad was playing in the background. The rows were packed with music shoppers of every kind of vintage – the hip-hop-crazed collegian, the classical opera-loving connoisseur, the Jethro Tull wannabe rocker and the aspirational Mariah-Whitney diva. It was the last week before Christmas, and one glance around was enough to make you believe that every kind of music lover was there for their pre-festival pilgrimage; focusing on ticking off buys from their wishlist with robot-like focus.

Ask any Bombaywallah who swears by their music — if it’s Christmastime, you would have to be at this Kala Ghoda landmark. And if you didn’t, well, sorry but you missed the coolest assortment of rare finds and hot deals that would’ve made your home festivities a lot more cheery and soulful for that year. It was as sacrosanct as scouring Crawford Market or Bandra before Christmas Day.