SHAH ALAM, Nov 6: While feasting during this Deepavali is expected to be expensive – considering the more than 50 percent price hike in many fresh produce items to dry goods like white rice, basmati rice, to mutton, tomatoes, chillies and spices – dressing up may be mercifully a little less expensive as the prices of garments, saris and other textiles and accessories have remained quite reasonable, says a trader.
At the Midlands Convention Centre here, where a three-day bazaar took place from Friday to Sunday, Nov 6, many traders reported good sales for their wares including traditional items like saris, punjabi suits, lengha suits, to more fashionable clothings, accessories, and even health-based food and beverages.
Many of the participants at the bazaar were traders, who run their shops on online and participate only in bazaars from time to time.
Simple cotton tops were priced from RM35 to while the more elaborate ones ranged from RM150 and above.
While some of the participating traders were part timers, many were full time online traders who operate from home and festive period bazaars are their best time to make decent sales.
For Ranjan Kanapathy of Anam Collections, who was selling his collection of sarees for the first time in a Deepavali bazaar, sales have been very encouraging according to him.
“We provide a variety of sarees mostly sourced from unusual places in Northern India. They are unique and fashionable as well as traditional,” he said, adding that prices of sarees, saree blouses as well as cotton tops have been kept at reasonable levels.
“We managed to sell quite a number of sarees, and we also encourage young women to carry on the tradition of wearing sarees not only for occasions like Deepavali but also to temples and so on.”
For those wishing to make last minute purchases can also check out Ranjan’s Instagram and Tik Tok platform at:annam.sarees or email him at annamcollection7@gmail.com.
As for Sharmila, a homemaker, sales have been also good.
Sharmila who operates the Kanchi Bazaar online shop, says her collection of sarees come from various parts of South India and most of the sarees displayed at the Midlands event were cotton sarees, silk cotton sarees as well as organza sarees.
She said customers were not Indians alone as others also checked out their collections and made purchases.
She said, being a housewife, an online shop has made it possible for her to continue to work from home and enable her to participate in selected bazaars. People can also visit her website at www.kancjibazaar.com to buy her elegant collection of sarees.
— WE