I have always been a person who could spend hours in an art shop - the colours, the papers, the many mediums, everything - more than captivate, hypnotises me! 
And I am quite sure if you are a painter or in any way inclined towards art you already know about these two art marvel stores located at the two ends of Bombay (Mumbai) - stocked to the brim with all possible art supplies - Himalaya and Art Station an artists heaven!

The nostalgia of an old customer who has been going there for years….. Himalaya is one of the first and finest stationery shops I have been to that caters purely and “soul-y” to fine art supplies and/or to inspire the fine artist inside you 😉

Located near Victoria Terminus Station and opposite the J.J school of arts, Himalaya has been first of its kind in India, an old establishment that is now running short on space with their products stocked and stacked all the way up to the ceiling, which by the way has been spray-painted and in a way adds to the charm of the shop. They have the most extensive range of art materials and brands you can think of, here you will find Winsor and Newton oil paint, Liquitex and Golden acrylic paint, Gouache colours; all kinds of mediums and varnishes, drafting tools, easels, calligraphy pens etc etc as well as a decent selection of instructional books on art. One can never leave without having to buy at-least one new thing! 

On being in close proximity to the stations the shop is easily approachable and is also more convenient for their regular outstation customers from Baroda, Pondicherry etc to stop shop in Himalya’s on their visit to the city. However if you can’t visit the shop, browse through their online portal through which they have extended their reach to customers far and wide with deliveries going out as distant as Greece!

As for me…… I like the old city shop charm and like to visit the shop for the feel of the place and a personal interaction with each product. 🙂

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Art Station is a slightly different story, in terms of the approach to the store, it’s not the street front easy to spot kind and even smaller in size with a less than 500 sq feet compact room! However, in terms of product variety and quality – 5 star rating! And assistance in sales and service – all smiles – always!

Situated at Andheri four bungalows in the forever busy market area, it attracts customers of all backgrounds. When you walk into the by lanes and passage way towards the shop you are greeted with a large sign which says ‘Art Station – Artists’ and Designers’ materials‘, and a stack of easel boards right outside lets you know this is the right place. The shop may seem a little small at first but it really allows you to be hands on with the products- and it’s that self service ‘supermarket feel’ that gives you great pleasure in interacting with the paint bottles and tubes, feel of the bristles on the brushes and picking up and reading of the books.

Art Station stocks many many brands too and if you have something specific in mind, place an order, they are always happy to source for you. Being in trend and working towards procuring products that make an artist’s life easy is what they work by and we like them because they like to know more if they don’t already!

Primarily an art shop they have recently extended into all kinds of craft supplies as well, making this new section a craft junkie’s heaven. They have all the different types of papers and stickers, ribbons and glitter, washi tapes, and a serious variety of quelling paper as well.

What we really liked about their space is this little section dedicated to local pamphlet advertising and sharing information about art and craft classes and creative hobbies etc. The summer has arrived early – must you guys enroll to learning a new craft!

And just like the saying goes… it’s not the size but the content that matters! Himalaya and Art station offers just that.