Chennai
is a major commercial destination in the peninsular India and has a lot
to offer for shopping. In fact Chennai is a Shopper's delight. New
plazas are springing up while traditional stores are having themselves
refurbished to attract more customers. This competition between the
traditional marketers and mall-owners is proving to be a boon for the
buyers. Chennai has various emporiums that offer traditional handicraft items from all over the Tamilnadu. Among others, items like Pattamara mats, Leaf handicrafts from Tirunellveli, Bronze and Brass castings and traditional jewelry from Kumbakonam, Metal works from Tanjavur, stone carvings from Mamallapuram, Silks from Kanchipuram are easily available in Chennai. For conventional items and handicrafts, Government Emporiums offer wide variety of choice at fixed rate. SIPA'S Craft link at Kodambakkam is South India's first fair-price shop that supports local artisans. You can buy variety of locally made handicrafts and papier-mâché items at reasonable prices. Vardharams at Harrington Road Chetput has good collections of Kanjivarams.
Some of the famous malls in Chennai are Spencer Plaza at Anna Salai, Shopper's Stop at Harrington Road and Globus or Emerald Plaza at MG Road. All of these malls have range of shops selling famous brands of clothing, books, music, children toys and accessories etc. For ready-made clothes and accessories try Lifestyle at TTK Road, Westside at Spencer Plaza and Saga Departmental stores. The famous Burma Bazaar has all sorts of imported goods that can be purchased at discount price. For books, CDs, cards and other novelties, visit Landmark at Nungambakkam or Fountainhead at Mylapore. The most popular bookshops in Chennai are Higginbothams and BookPoint at Anna Salai.
