Tucked into a side street in Mumbai is an address that the most discerning of gift hunters are privy to. Enchante is a boutique that sells bric-a-brac, which are embellished making them look quaint, distinctive and as the fussy buyer would want it-exclusive. However, to the relief of many, these gifts are practical and utilitarian. There are baskets, platters, boxes, fruit and dry fruit bowls, katoris, cookie jars, serving trays and many others.There are platters and servers made in acrylic and then done up in golden and silver arabesque designs. They make the simple, mundane acrylic platter with a dash of gold and silver on it, an item to behold. These are also available in metal and wood.
There are also ornate frames to choose from. For those with a romantic frame of mind and candle-lit dinners to light up these moments, there are a range of fat and slim candles in myriad colours and in ornate holders. They make it look like a sin to burn them. Then there are the usual perfumed ones, too.
For those with a penchant for the bottle, there are exquisite and elegant bar sets. If the drinks are on, would nuts be far behind! Attractive nut bowls and silver plated filigreed trays are an unusual form of highlighting those catered soirees. And for the sublime, there are silver plated aarti thalis to lend an elegance to the holy duties.
The works of art are fashioned in wood, acrylic, metal jali, wrought iron, white metal, glass, ceramic and fibre glass. Their exclusivity is enhanced with real burnished gold, white metal mouldings, metal filigree and etching.
For the festival season, hampers of Indian sweets and Western confectionery can also be had from here.
The brain behind Enchante, is Ms Shashi Bhasin, a designer who designed and sold exclusive gift items from home before pitching her stuff in this shop.
And her muse, she says, is her ideas and innate love for embellishing utilitarian items and making them extraordinary. The prices for these range from Rs 250 to Rs 7,500. "I like to think of a customer looking to me for a gift for every occasion from housewarming, to weddings, births, and anniversaries. More than the sale, which I acknowledge is important as finance is needed to uplift oneself, my products are made to build memories." Ms Bhasin's redone gift items have exclusive styles. There are wooden salad bowl Rs 3,800 and multipurpose glass jars with metal encasement, priced at Rs 450 each.
Copyright © 2001 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.