Go Shopping For Your Car Accessories On Lenin Sarani

Ankita Chakraborty

As you travel on Lenin Sarani from Chandni Market towards Wellington Square, your attention will be drawn to the flurry of shops near the Kamalalay Centre on left, selling a wide variety of car accessories and décors. Nowadays, when most cars comes loaded with factory fitted accessories, one is left wondering about the business that is thriving in this grimy lane. Yet if you plan to buy car accessories and décor items at the best bargain price, then this is the place to be.

The USP Of The Market
The USP of this car accessories market is most definitely the reasonable price and the wide variety of options. Since this narrow lane has a number of shops offering similar line of products, the prices are very competitive. And this is the prime reason why the customers continue to flock to this market to jazz up their cars.

Starting from essential accessories like floor mats, wheel covers, alloy rims, to safety accessories like security lock, parking sensors, door bits, door guards or audio accessories which include amplifiers, speakers and tweeters to upholstery like seat covers and general accessories like perfumes, cleansers, spoilers, gear knobs, and footsteps….you will find practically everything here.

History
There is not much documented history about the market. Instead of being set up formally, it seemed to have mushroomed over the past decades out of necessities of car owners as there were hardly any shop in the past catering to car décor and accessories. Initially, there were only one or two shops while the rest followed gradually leading to a buzzing market.

The oldest stores date back to 1951 when two shops – Auto Rexine owned by Makhan Lal Gupta and Bombay Motors owned by the Somaiyas began operation. After this, more and more shops just kept opening keeping up pace with the growth of automobile industry. The area once known for Kamalalay- a large departmental store, is now more popular among the auto enthusiasts for being a market of car accessories and décor.

The Shops
These are proper stores – big, airy and spacious, well stocked with accessories and décor items and with customers pouring in with their lists of requirements. Almost every shop has three to four salesmen who readily attend to the needs of the customers. They also patiently try to reply to the queries made by the customer, helping him to make the right choice. It is very rare that the customer is looking for a particular product and he or she has to return home disappointed. From inexpensive desi products to more premium exported goods, there is something to fit  everyone’s pocket and necessity.

The Market
There are several stores on either side of the lane with various car decorative items and accessories on display to lure the customers. These shops actually mark the commencement of the market area. Just ahead of the Kamalalay Centre, a right turn will take you towards Auto Rexine Store. Inside the lane, a number of stores specialise in car décor products. According to Yash Somaiya, the owner of Bombay Motors, “The services provided are our main motto. It’s not that the products are sold and the relation ends, rather it starts from there. You may find a price difference between us and others but every penny spent on it will be worth it. Pricing, products and the after sales service speak a lot about the store.” Business is booming, to say the least. Throughout the year this place teems with customers and cars of different sizes & makes and there is not a single idle moment. “The work is at its peak during the festive seasons when people want to give their cars a new look. That does not mean that there is any less work round the year. The market is always up and never going down”, claimed another shop owner.

Source of Products
The products are generally sourced from other cities like Delhi and Mumbai. Foreign brands are imported mainly from China to their Indian distributors which are then delivered to the market retailers. Accessories like alloy wheels and music system come from Mumbai, Coimbatore, Haryana, Faridabad and Pune. The pocket for car accessories lies in western zone (Mumbai, Nasik, Pune), southern zone (Chennai and Coimbatore), northern zone (Delhi and Faridabad). Car décor items like the decals, paints, coats and toys are sourced mostly from Hyderabad, Bangalore and Delhi. “The products brought from other cities or factories are transported by rail or roadways”, added Yash Somaiya. “Our products come mainly from the manufacturing companies which are delivered by the distributors. International products are imported to their Indian counterparts located in Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore and so on which are then sent to our store either by the rail or the air”, said Hamen Somaiya of Bombay Motors.

Car Accessories On Lenin Sarani
Business days – Monday-Saturday
Business hours – 9 AM – 8 PM
Car parking – Available inside the lane and around Kamalalaya Centre