Along with the regular black two fold umbrellas for the more stoic souls, foldable umbrella there are plenty for those looking for a bit of an adventure. Harsha Purohit, who has taken up a summer job at the shop post her graduation, says, “Three or four of us are hired on each year to help out. He adds, “We try to come up with new varieties each year, so that we can keep up with the competition there is in the market today.. While some may find what they need at home, many take to the streets to find the perfect umbrella — one that will last them through the torrential rain that is bound to come in a few days’ time.Though a bit of a hassle to get to, with no obvious markers or maps, the Chatri Bazaar is definitely worth the visit, if only to get lost in the circus ofumbrellas.

We have a number of corporate clients who buy our products in bulk,” says Deepak R. We just got a shipment of new umbrellas today with really interesting designs.”While most of the shops that line the street have four walls, Usha Umbrellas, which consists of two wooden shacks on the outside of an mill, has an equally extensive collection. Umbrellas of a rainbow of shapes and colours line every available surface of the large hall — piled on display tables, hung on hooks and stuffed into buckets. “We have umbrellas that have fans on the main rod. Some light up, and others are magic umbrellas that have blank spaces which colour up when water falls on them,” he elaborates, while showing off his collection with a flourish. Teeming with people who come in to take their pick, the shop hires temporary workers every monsoon to keep up with the crowd. Some have Warli art print, some have cartoons drawn on them of what the Mumbai monsoons really means, ones with yoga poses and a number of other varieties.

We also customise umbrellas if we are given a few days’ advance notice.A third old faithful of the umbrella bazaar is Sun Umbrellas. As the monsoon showers begin to make their presence felt, most Mumbaikars have begun their annual search for umbrellas. Stag Umbrella store. A ten-minute walk from the station takes one to Princess Street, which is lined with shops that offer umbrellas of all shapes and sizes.We take Mumbaikars through one of the most prolific umbrella markets in town. Bhagnari, the owner of the shop, whose father first began the business in the 1950s. Though a much smaller establishment, the shop boasts over 4,000 umbrellas at any given time. “The shop is now run by the original owners great grandson, Zameel Currim,” says Hyder Lakhani, the sales manager of the store.”A Madonna umbrellaAnother shop that has been around for over 50 years is Asian Umbrellas. We also have a bunch of umbrellas for kids.

While street vendors have their own clientele, those looking for some quality local goods can also make their way to the chatri bazaar near Marine Lines. The shop, with its extensive collection of over 100 different varieties of umbrellas, has been around since the 1860s.Perhaps the oldest and definitely the most well known shops in the locality is Stag Umbrellas by Ebrahim Currim and Sons