Adding on to the many accolades that the City of Joy has to its name, a retail study has ranked the city’s glam shopping hub — the Park Street-Camac Street stretch — fifth among 30 high streets in eight Indian cities. From speaking to retailers on the stretch to finding out why the stretch is worthy of the title and other contender-worthy streets of Kolkata, CT takes a closer look at the latest crowning achievement of the city.
WHEN I READ THE NEWS ABOUT THE SURVEY, MY FIRST FEELING WAS THAT OF PRIDE: DEV
I’m not from Kolkata, so when I first came here years back to make a career, my first night out with my friends was at Park Street and Camac Street. I also bought my first piece of gym equipment from a store on Camac Street. That apart, I still shop at retail stores on Camac Street, as it has all the major brands selling fashionable clothes and accessories. And eating out has always meant Park Street, and still is. So, when I read the news about the survey rankings, my first feeling was that of pride.
PARK STREET-CAMAC STREET ARE MORE OF AN EMOTION TO ME: SAURASENI MAITRA On Thursday, when I read that a recent retail study has ranked Park Street and Camac Street fifth among 30 high streets in the country’s top eight cities, I was delighted. It brought back a lot of memories. I’d bought the first piece of jewellery with my own income from a store on Camac Street, which also houses the beauty salon I visit. The sari I gifted Ma after getting my first pay cheque was from a shop on Camac Street. So to me, these two streets are more of an emotion than just places.
PARK STREET IS A DEPICTION OF KOLKATA IN A FEW 100 FEET: ANAND PURI
Park Street has made it to the list because of its original character. Decades-old places there have their own personality. It is the quintessential depiction of Kolkata within a couple of 100 feet. The stretch is also very walkable, everything is packed into a straight line. Delhi has many Insta-worthy high streets but though those places have aesthetic beauty, there is a lack of urban culture brewed over years. Kolkata has it.
— Anand Puri, partner at an iconic eatery on Park Street
PARK STREET-CAMAC STREET AREA HAS SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE: KOMMAL SOOD
The Park Street-Camac Street area connects the major points from heritage buildings to the lush green maidan of Kolkata and has something for everyone. There are bookstores, a supermarket, many restaurants, fashion studios, boutiques and party hubs. If we look at Park Mansions, it has everything from a cafe, shop selling electronics to salons and outlets of clothing brands. Central Kolkata has no segregation in terms of residential and commercial places, but Park Street and Camac Street stand out in this case.
— Kommal Sood, who owns a boutique on Park Street
‘PARK STREET HAS BEEN A GO-TO PLACE HISTORICALLY: KANCHAN DUTTA Park Street has been a go-to place historically. Anything that I relate to the quintessential old Kolkata spirit, it’s all there on Park Street. It has made it to the list probably because of the commercial nature it acquired over years. But it wasn’t always this commercial. It is the heritage background of the place, the buildings and architecture that makes the area stand out from other high streets of Kolkata or any other city.
— Kanchan Dutta, president of an elite Kolkata club
HOW DID THE STREETS MAKE THE CUT?
The streets have been ranked on the basis of ease of parking, access to public transport, store visibility, spending quotient and average trading density. The study took into account only those shopping streets that have contiguous stores with 40% or more retail brand presence. Park Street and Camac Street tick all the boxes.
OTHER HIGH-STREET TAG-WORTHY STREETS IN KOLKATA
* Hindustan Park and surrounding area
* Lord Sinha Road
* VIP road (the Lake Town to airport stretch)
The Park Street-Camac Street area houses fashion boutiques, stores with an amazing collections of campus clothes, knock-offs and home essentials. Located at the heart of the city, the place emits a downtown vibe due to the presence of iconic multi-cuisine eateries, two famous bookstores, Instagram-worthy cafes and pubs. No wonder, it’s also Kolkata’s party hub.
The average size of retail stores in Kolkata (2815 sq ft) is nearly twice that of Hyderabad (1,485 sq ft), 2.5 times that of Ahmedabad (1,289 sq ft), Bengaluru (1,047 sq ft) and four times that of Chennai (681 sq ft)
The average monthly rent, `300-450 per sq ft, paid by high street stores on Park Street-Camac Street Shakespeare Sarani area is higher than Bengaluru’s Commercial Street (`220- 250), Koramangala (`125- 175) or MG Road (`100-125)
