Chennai Handicrafts & Antiques

This quaint little shop called The Old Curiosity shop brings back memories of Charles Dickens’ famous novel by the same name .

The Old Curiosity Shop – Oldest Shop in Chennai

It is one of the oldest shops in Chennai. The interiors of this shop have not been changed in the last 60 years. The shop looks dated, as if time has stood still in the last six decades.

The current owner Mr. Lateef goes to great lengths to explain how his father used to travel to Bombay to collect rock music records in the 1940s and 1950s. The shop is stacked with old rock music records, porcelain clocks, old typewriters, jewellery, carpets, Tibetan masks, memorabilia from the decades gone by and other pieces of great value. Some of the pieces are nearly 100 years old.

One cannot be but impressed with Mr. Lateef. Such is the passion , warmth and nostalgia in his voice when he talks about his priceless collection. He says it is his Aalayam (local parlance for Abode”). He is the 3rd generation owner of the shop.