Boot Camp

Pune witnesses its first car boot sale,a concept in which vendors sell products from the boots of their cars.

Pune witnesses its first car boot sale,a concept in which vendors sell products from the boots of their cars.

When Ranjot Singh,who sells apparel and shoes by upcoming designers,heard about the new sale at Ishanya Mall,Viman Nagar,he took a quick decision to participate in the event. The reason was the smooth structure of the sale,which didnt require formalities of booking a stall. All he had to do was pack his collection of apparel and shoes in the boot of his car and drive down to the venue. On reaching,he hung the kurtis on a rack fixed near his car and the shoes were placed inside the cars boot. Singh was joined by several other vendors who displayed a variety of products,from pickles and bags to dress material all in the boot of their cars.

A first-of-its-kind event,the car boot sale was organised in the city by Harsha Shah,proprietor of Helix Events. She is also one of the few people who brought in the culture of flea market to Pune three years ago. Now the trend has mushroomed across all the malls in the city. I challenged myself to come up with something new which would add twist to the usual flea market culture, says Shah. After much brainstorming,she came up with the idea of combining fun and entertainment of a carnival with the shopping element of a flea market,and organised the event at Poona Club last year. There were magic shows,live band performances and food stalls along with a variety of vendors who put up their stalls. It is not just about the products being sold,it is about the experience of shopping at a flea market, says Shah.

After the success of the event,she found herself working on a new idea yet again and thats when one of her friends suggested the concept of a car boot sale. Shah took an instant liking to the concept and started searching for the ideal location to host an event of this sort. The car boot sale is a no-fuss flea market. Vendors can come with their stock in their cars,park on the premises and sell their stuff from the boot. To add to the convenience,we let them put up a small table to display their stuff as well, describes Shah.

The three-day car boot sale kicked off on Friday and will conclude on Sunday night. The sale starts at 5 pm and goes on till 10 pm. Pune,says Shah,has limited vendors,most of them being home-based entrepreneurs who do not sell from a shop. Events such as flea markets and car boot sales encourage more and more people to take up such entrepreneurship and showcase their talent through such events, says Shah.

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