UPPERCRUST DISCOVERY | DHANRAJ HOME APPLIANCES

A Hidden Trove

UpperCrust stumbled upon Dhanraj Home Appliances tucked away in a little lane in Tardeo, with thousands of household items and more spread across 1200 sq. ft. This one is a true discovery, after a long, long time

Text: Lyle Michael  Photographs: Farzana Contractor

It’s been a while we’ve done an UpperCrust Discovery for dearth of something really “discoverable”. The wait was worth it. You will surely agree with our find this issue, UpperCrust reader. When searching for a few specific plastic items in Tardeo recently, our driver spotted this little (not so little) gem at the start of Belasis Bridge, leading to Mumbai Central railway station, with a ground floor store dealing in international and local crockery and a huge upstairs store with six sections dedicated to everything a homemaker desires. Walk up the 19 old wooden stairs to enter into a maze – a very neatly organised one – with a well-trained staff of 16 people to guide you through.

Established in 1946, Dhanraj Home Appliances has expanded within itself to host a large number of products and sub products proffered by around 5000 brands. You will find 30 brands of spoons alone! We’re talking ironing boards, laundry baskets, airtight jars, mops, matkas in the prettiest hand-painted designs, water coolers and copper bottles with beautiful artwork on them, mini cabinets, brooms, clothes horses, chairs, ladders, stools, walkers and cars for kids, casseroles, tiffins, cleaning agents, cloths, dustbins, soap dispensers, egg cartons, rice cookers, idli and appam pans, cast iron cookware, kettles, wine openers, airtight jars, cutlery, beauty products, electrical appliances… and the cutest kitchen sets you will see. Make sure you spot and take home the mini Hawkins pressure cooker for your tot to master his/her cooking skills alongside you. It’s as big as the palm of your hand.

Everything is at a wholesale price, so shop till you drop. Like we said, it’s a trove. Third-generation owner, Vipul Gala – who runs the store with his elder brother, Mitesh – looks around with pride at the empire they have built and their very own brand of hard annodised, non-stick pans and mixer grinders which goes by the name, Blackberry. Looking for cast-iron skillets? Wait for a few months, Vipul tells us.

“We bring in customers from all over the city, NRI folks, too, and we’re open 365 days, seven days a week, from 9 am to 9 pm. We are looking at online sales options soon,” Vipul begins.

“We are very well-established that everyone knows us (there’s also a store on the opposite side), and we have a direct company purchase agreement with suppliers. No imports!”

Once you’ve stepped into Dhanraj and like what you see, the next time you could even have it delivered to your home for they will cater to your every whim. They do. Browse around the well-stocked store and you will have at least two staff members in each section advising you on what suits your needs best and the brands you can choose from. “It’s 100% customer satisfaction ensuring quality and a warranty for your purchases, too. Dhanraj is ‘Specially for Service’,” states Vipul with confidence.

Homemakers, Dhanraj has something for everyone, right from toddlers to the older lot. Sections range from homeware to home appliances, stainless steel and copper items to plasticware, thermoware and gas stoves, utensils and more. In one section, you will find casseroles and tiffins that will take you through brands such as KVG, Vaya, Magnus, Milton… Fans from Crompton, Sujata, Crown and furniture such as chairs and cupboards from Neelkamal, Nyasa, Nakoda… Dustbins such as Aristo’s, Nelkon’s steel bins, Joyo’s plastic buckets, ladders from Levanto, walkers, swings and toy cars for your kids to go whee in.

A second large section includes napkin boxes, water bottles in glass and plastic from Cello and Nyasa, flasks of varied sizes, storage boxes and cabinets from Aristo, organisers from 121 Joy, Tupperware, kitchen scissors from Glare, mop and bucket sets by Gala, a variety of flowerpots… We are just giving you a glimpse, FYI. Visit Dhanraj on the first floor and you will see for yourself firsthand what we’re talking about.

Vipul smiles and tells us, “While I can’t speak for the whole of India, there really is no other store like this in Bombay. There is a huge range in each category, products of various sizes and brands which you could buy individually or in bulk.” What do most customers look for at Dhanraj? “Non-stick cookware, household appliances and steel utensils, fans are usually bought in bulk. We also cater to hotels for their equipment, and corporates,” comes the answer. “Popular foreign brands include Black & Decker, Corelle, Hamilton, Morphy Richards and then some,” he adds.        

Other popular brands you will find are Lock & Lock, Philips, Bajaj, Nova and Italia for kitchenware, for hand blenders and juicers, Butterfly and Bosch mixers, Futura pans, Sunflame gas stoves, cast-iron ware from Meyer, roti roasters from Sanghvi and even hair straighteners and blow-dryers from Philips. Tweezers, ear picks, tongue cleaners, colourful toothbrushes in test tube cases and the cutest toothbrush holders in the shape of a ladybug are on offer, too.

The stainless steel section will take you from tiffins by Viego to matkas by Saga and Dr Jal. Cutlery by Kishco is a hot-seller as is the sizzler plate by KVG. Mortar and pestles by Gurukupa sit attractive and tempting. So is the veggie spiraliser by Rena Veggeti. Bergner knives are a must and the Super Mom mega choppers, too. Strainers, pizza cutters, ice picks and those ingenious little marble stones we place in whisky glasses to freeze the drink are all on offer at Dhanraj.

Last but not least, cleaning agents and cleaning equipment are in a separate narrow lane with all the brands at your disposal. You name it, you see it, you buy it. Harpic, Lizol, Origami, Kotton, Campure, Dettol, Gala, Scotch Brite bring you products like microfibre cloths, mops, dusters, tissues, doormats, mini bins and dust pans, toilet brushes, rubber wipes, bottle brushes, car brushes, solvents… a cleaning freak would spend a good amount of time here. We did. You will find another smaller section with iron boards, mops and more as you enter the store.

Climbing up the stairs could be a task for the elderly and the staff are more than helpful if you need the assistance. Getting to the store itself can be a task currently given the major metro construction work at Tardeo which also blocks off a portion of Mumbai Central station. Make sure you don’t cross over the Belasis Bridge leading to Mumbai Central, if coming from Nana Chowk, even if Google Maps tells you so. Wadia Street is your lane when searching for Dhanraj Home Appliances – Bombay’s hidden gem and UpperCrust's top discovery this quarter.

Dhanraj Home Appliances

Shop No. 2B, First Floor, Safoorabhai Bldg, 24 Belasis Road, Wadia Street, Tardeo, Mumbai 400034

Ph: 022 2381 9927