Historical Shopping Districts of the World

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Dheeraj Dogra Global Retail & Realty Analyst The entire world has amazing shopping plazas and complexes. But, there are few shopping destinations that hold historical importance. Now, you will think what history has to do with shopping plaza? Why, not. In fact, history is the one thing that bounds us to a particular market. Bond Street, London, England Located in the West End area of London city this is one of the oldest shopping streets of the human history. Settled in the 18th century the Bond Street, London has a historical importance. Interestingly, the Bond Street is the only way to connect the Oxford Street and Piccadilly area. Thus, the locals used to shop everything from this place. In the early 18th century, the place uses to have local grocery and other clothing stores. But, the 19th century brought an amazing change to this shopping street. The more traders started setting up shops here and then this shopping area turned into a home of brands. You can have a glimpse of various famous celebrities while shopping here. Fifth Avenue, New York City It might be blanketed in icy snow at any given moment, but the Big Apple’s most famous shopping strip is never empty. Running the gamut from the old (Tiffany, Saks) to the new (Polo Ralph Lauren, Apple), the retail is as varied and vast as the city itself. Bahnhofstrasse, Zurich, Switzerland Bahnhofstrasse, Zurich, Switzerland is one of the oldest shopping streets in the human history. This place is one the most expensive shopping streets in the world. The architectecture of this street amazes people as the place has huge branded outlets with the tram running in between the pedestrian path. Bahnhofstrasse Street is famous for original Swiss watches and jewelry collection. Today, the street has various brands for the shoppers including Dior, Mont Blanc, Globus, Gucci, H&M, Burberry, Tommy Hilfiger, Tissot, Louis Vuitton, Manor and Giorgio Armani to name a few. Avenue Montaigne, Paris, France The original name of this street is the Allée des Veuves means widow's alley. In the 17th century, the women used to gather at this street for mourning. However, the street witnessed changes in the 18th century. But, the makeover of this shopping street took place in the 19th century. This was the time when the entire street used to lighten up with the colorful Mabille balls on the weekends. After which, the Avenue Montaigne, Paris become host to various fashion brands such as Louis Vuitton, Dior, Chanel, Fendi, Valentino and Ralph Lauren. Today, most of the celebrities prefer shopping here over the rest of the world. Thus, the city has won a celebrity shop stop status. Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills (CA), United States Rodeo Drive is a terminus that connects Beverly Drive and Sunset Boulevard in the Beverly Hills area of USA. Incepted in the year 1865, the street got a makeover the 19th century when the Beverly Hills hotel was built here. As a consequence, a lot of fashion brands showed the willingness to open outlets here. Since, then, Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills (CA), United States has been one of the major shopping streets of the world. The inception of branded outlets in the 19th century allows us to count this market as one of the oldest shopping streets in the human history. The luxury retail big boys are all here (Tiffany, Gucci, Jimmy Choo, Valentino, Prada), but it’s the Europe-esque, cobble-stoned area — with the Walk of Style, the Torso sculpture and other quirky bits — that make its palm-lined sidewalks and Ferrari-parked curbs a must-shop. Ginza, Tokyo, Japan Famous for its electronic items, the country Japan has a beautiful shopping street of Ginza. This shopping street is famous for grocery stores, fresh seafood, and cafes. In fact, the ambiance of this shopping arena makes you feel Royal. Thus, people from across the globe visit Ginza to shopping since the 19th century. Once upon a time, this 8-block district was a swamp — but the only crocodiles you’ll find here now are on flipped-collar Lacoste shirts.Fashion icons like Chanel, Dior, Gucci and Louis Vuitton meet tech icons like Apple and Sony, while adventurous shoppers try to out-strange one another with Japan’s always-interesting take on fashion. Connaught Place , New Delhi Architect Robert Tor Russell designed Connaught Place which was named after the Duke of Connaught. The construction went on for about 4 years from 1929 to 1933. The two-story Georgian style buildings were visualized in the shape of two concentric circles, named Connaught Place and Connaught Circus, to memorialize the Duke of Connaught. Today, vintage brands like Mohanlal Sons, Ram Chandra & Sons claiming to be India’s oldest toy store, Lok Nath & Co, Indian Art Palace, Novex and so many others that came into existence in the 1930’s exist alongside new-age players. Chandni chowk, Delhi This vibrant market came to existence when the fifth Mughal Emperor, Shah Jahan, shifted his capital from Agra to Shahjahanabad, now Old Delhi, in the mid 17th century. The bazaar was designed by Jahanara Begum, the eldest daughter of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal, in whose memory the Taj Mahal was built. The original market was divided into four parts: Urdu Bazaar, Johri Bazar, Ashrafi Bazaar, and the Fatehpuri Bazar. During the golden days of the Mughal era, the splendor of Chandni Chowk had spread far and wide. Merchants from Asia and Europe are known to have frequently visited the market. ?Over 1,500 businesses of all kinds had initially set up shop along the 1.3-kilometer-long road, stretching from the Red Fort to Fatehpuri Masjid. At the time, these shops were designed in the shape of a half moon. A large developer also famous for creating Connaught place a modern shopping plaza in Greater Noida is yet doing it again. Soon to be added to this historical shopping district is another shopping complex code named “Chandni Chowk” inspired by the architecture of the bygone era and keeping the historical aesthetics into perspective. History would soon be meeting fashion once again.