BANGALORE: The fourth edition of the Malleswaram Shopping Mela, started by the Malleswaram Commercial Forum to reclaim old crowds that started frequenting malls, is to take off on Sunday. The organisers are hoping to have Kannada star Yash inaugurating it.
The Dasara-Deepavali time is one of the busiest times for traders, the time of year when people want to buy new clothes, invest in jewelry and other accessories. But the smaller businesses have been taking the hit, with bigger entities going all out to advertise their offers through the media.
“The place should be happening, otherwise we can’t really pull crowds,” says secretary of the traders’ forum Arun Kumar A R. “Or else, it’s out of sight, out of mind -- people go back to their previous haunts.”
Arun, also the proprietor of a gift store there, Global Galleria, says that business rises by around 40 per cent in these few weeks.
And according to him, so long as they have the mela this season, customers keep flowing in to all the shops in the Malleswaram market area throughout the year.
So throughout the next four weeks or so, Malleswaram will see small weekend events. “We’ll have informal quizzes near the Malleswaram circle or on 8th Cross, and give away small prizes,” he says.
The highlight, however, are the bigger prizes -- a Tata Zest, two Mahindra bikes and another electric bike.
“For every `500 you shop for, in any store between 5th and 10th crosses, you will get a coupon. We’ll have a lucky draw later,” explains the trader.