Delhiites witnessed a classic juxtaposition of vintage and chic as various homegrown businesses including old vinyl record sellers came together at a recent pop-up event organised by Kala Ghoda Records, a Vasant Vihar-based record store that was founded by Deepak Dewan in 2010. The event took place at LetsBunk Poshtel situated in Hauz Khas Village over the weekend. While Kala Ghoda Records specifically seeks to “supply music memorabilia across the country”, Dewan and his team keeps organising such pop-ups every once in a while so as to “get the underbelly out and keep the culture going.”
“The idea is for young people with high aesthetic and artisanal values to come together, display their collections and sell their products. You have pop-up shops, live music, food; basically everything at one place,” said Dewan, who has been conducting such events for about six years now. “This week’s pop-up is everything independent under one roof. We have various record stores, thrift stores, and wellness brands selling their products. Artists are showcasing their work and there are live performances too, adding to the vibe,” he added.
Shop till you drop
When we visited the venue on Sunday, it was abuzz with people across different age groups; while some were here to shop, others came together to showcase their antique collections, sell handcrafted products, and perform for the crowd.Vaibhavi Javalkar and Akshay Tambe displayed vintage upcycled garments and hand-painted clothes by their brand Aimée. “Both of us come from a fashion background, thus our idea is to bring together fashion and painting and create something that is one-of-a-kind. We take vintage designer pieces and give them a new life in order to get people into thrifting, steering them away from fast fashion,” Javalkar explained. “The vibe of this place is great. These [pop-ups] are a good opportunity to meet people and tell them about our work,” she added.
Apart from fashion and accessory brands, many vinyl owners who have their establishments in the city also exhibited their collections at the event. Mohammed Akhtar, owner of Unique Art & Craft in Daryaganj, said, “I have been in this business since my childhood and I currently have about 20,000 such records. We exhibit these records at various places and also sell them.”
Kriti Gupta (34) who visited the pop-up on Sunday said, “I didn’t know this existed but this place has a very hipster vibe. I came here for the records, but there are a lot of things.”