On a recent trip , I took my co - sister to Oshiwara 's old furniture market , in Mumbai ... when you are looking for treasures for a bargain ... this is it ... a wonderful market for the collectors ... the connoisseur and the aficionados alike ... 
... this was a store, where you'd love to go through a huge collection of vintage Indian prints ... oliographs ... I also saw some beautiful Ravi Verma oliographs ... collectable prints from the British Raj times ... ofcourse one will have to be cautious about the autheticity of anything claimed to be an antique ...
... you'll find pieces ,that find their way into the markets from old palaces and mansions ... and since they come from all over the country ... don't be surprised to find a Goan piece in Portugese style sitting next to a rajasthani ... or ethnic Indian artifacts from the south. I love the old European ones ... the cast iron lamps ... to garden benches ..trays ... clocks ...
... when it comes to furniture I would say most of them are reproductions ... but with the craftsmen ship and the prize tags (haggle..haggle...haggle) ... you are bound to go home feeling like a millionaire ...
... if you are like me , who gets charmed just by the site of a street like this ... you are headed to bringing home some goodies for sure ... ( I did, even though I had sworen I won't ) ... 
... discovering and haggling is as much a part of the fun ... and one thing you are sure of is the workmanship ... if you look you'll find some amazing reproductions ... which do full justice to the original designs ... though some pieces like these garden benches are surely old ... and the shop keeper may ( just may ) be able to tell you where it came from ... 
... most of the shop owners don't mind being photographed ... except for a few ... for reasons best known to them ... and that's why I couldn't photograph a lot of amazing pieces ...
... I am always amazed at the amount of European things you can discover in the Indian Antique bazaars ... ofcourse all of them coming from collections of old estates ... If you love Parsi furniture ... you'll definitely love your finds here ... I remember falling in love with some beautiful Parsi wardrobes ... the last time I was here ...
... that's my lil' girl running around in a store where I picked up two ladies salon chairs for her room ... she made it absolutely clear to every one she's throwing a tea party and all are invited ...( my lil' lady)...
... stacked high and low ... or upside down ... all things worth drooling over ...
... I am still eyeing this piece ... just couln't tell myself which place in the house I'd be able to fit it into ... ( I am in desperate need of a bigger house) ... sigh! :)
... beautiful old china ... my haggling skills are in need of some desperate overhauling ... I lost this deal ... 
... I am pretty sure , many of you'd love to just jump right in and grab this chair ...
... these vintage lamps ... reminded me of the light fittings I saw at the palace in Porbandar ... 
...all dusty ... but incredible details of this table ... made it stand out ... 
... this store was filled with old chests and stools ( I love to redo the stools into beautiful ottomans ) ... and there was a whole range from traditional Indian to British Raj style ... even European and Southern Indian ... 
... reproductions ... beautiful ... and a steal of a bargain ... 
... this market definetly has more in terms of furniture than accessories ... barring a few shops that keep some pieces here and there ... An old decanter ... very definitely European .
... dusty old ... lovable .. treasures ...
... yep right out on the street ... so well crafted and out on the street ...
...unfinished pieces ... loads of wardrobes ... Indian benches ...
... it was mind blowing just imagining the potential of the things I saw ... with different finishes ... amazing lighting ... all done up in fanatastic upholstery ... phew ... architectural digest images go pop-pop ... in my mind ...
... was not at all surprised when I realised the basket shaped ... pot stand in the background ... was an identical to the ones I saw ... again at the Huzoor palace , Porbander ... ( http://rajeesood.blogspot.com/2009/01/huzoor-palace-porbandarindia_28.html )
... only if it were not the constraint of space ... my book collection could have found a fabulous home in some old Parsi cabinet ...
... just another one of the well crafted chairs ... you pick one and they'll give you a whole set in a couple of days ... home delivery and all ... doesn't get any better ...
... to conclude , all I 'd say is ... treasures galore ... Do tell me about your experience ... at the Oshiwara old furniture bazaar ... Woops ... I think you'll need the address to get there ... here it is ... (this is what the visiting cards of all the dealers read )...
Ramjanak Singh Compound ,
Oshiwara Bridge,S.V Road,
Jogeshwari (W),
Mumbai 400102
... hope you enjoy and remember me :) ...
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