The Store needs no introduction to the discerning shopper. It sits snugly, like a butterfly in a cocoon. An old Bangalore façade of Mangalore tiles, bargeboard and monkey-top forms the shop entrance, while a traditional loom cues you to the cottons inside. The price tagged wares notwithstanding, the store manages to be wholesome and cozy as a private sanctum rather than aggressively up-market. Of course this has a lot to do with the reams and rolls of homespun fabrics. The colors, from ochre and khaki to olive and rust, make exciting, spanking new crayon boxes of the cleverly nondescript shelves.

With the noonday light caught and patterned by the exquisitely hand-embroidered herringbone curtains at one window. And the furniture here and there, outfitted in strong solids and elegant checks that scatter a pocketful of home design ideas. A beanbag by a window, with lots of little pillows and enormous cushions leaning lazily below it. A table set for four, with perfectly co-ordinated tablecloth, placemats, napkins and matte finished wooden napkin rings to match. Corners lit up by hanging lamps with brilliant blinds, set off by king-size bedspreads and cozy cushions, all touched with a magic touch of intricate hand embroidery that is all the rage at the moment.

Long years in export have lent western chic to Swadeshi fabrics, sourced from Swadeshi’s own production center in Kerala that has a reputation for producing the highest quality of pure hand woven cotton. The traditional skills of the Kerala weaver and the moist, humid conditions gives it a tautness and strength that sets it apart from cotton produced elsewhere in the country. The fabrics are pre-washed reducing shrinkage from 5-7% and the azo free dyes ensure machine washability and color fastness.

The product range is extensive, bold checks and creative plaids by the yardage, in over 300 different qualities with co-ordinated stories in a host of accessories. To help you with color co-ordination, if you so require, are friendly staff that are well trained in the hows and whys of doing up your home. Having a store in their own building has kept the prices very reasonable and giving value for money certainly seems to be the USP of this unique store.

Buddy Advantage: To be Confirmed