this store is really a delightful little treasure. it's reminiscent of a store called culture in Pittsburgh, if anyone is familiar.
they have a delightful selection of beautiful clothes (as mentioned previously, anything from bellydance outfits to hoodies, lots of gorgeous 'hippie' type skirts and dresses, and the loveliest selection of adorable little hats!), incense, perfume, some small musical instruments, books, indian spices, some tapestries, figurines (buddhas & kalis & ganeshas, etc), an overwhelming preponderance of beautifully hand-carved little boxes made from wood, stone, and fabrc, stones, baubles, a ton of jewelry, etc etc -- the list goes on. it's a very cool little store that one could easily get lost in. some items are pricey, and some are very cheap -- the prices are absolutely correspondent to the materials & quality of the items.
i can't echo the others' sentiments about the owner, Jagdish, wholeheartedly enough. he was very kind to me, and made a wonderful effort to get to know me, asking about my hometown, my family life, what brought me to providence, etc. i mentioned the great reviews this place has -- both on yelp and google -- and i specifically mentioned the warmth and admiration with which people speak of him. he was so flattered, he gently offered me his hand, and squeezed mine when i reached out to him, and told me how kind it was of me to say that. there was nothing creepy about it... it was a simple and wonderful gesture of kindness that touched my heart. i told him i was just reporting the facts! :-) i think Jagdish is a person who really cares about all people he meets, which is all too rare these days.
best of all, when i mentioned that most of my purchases were gifts for my son at home, he asked me his age. when i told him, he gave me a (complimentary) little set of 'magic rings' to bring home to my son along with his other gifts. :-) i try to stagger my gift-giving to draw out the excitement and fun, so i haven't given him the magic rings yet, but i know that he is going to love them, and i will make sure to tell my son that they were a gift from Jagdish and Lara in Providence.
providence was not on my radar. it was a detour of a plan i'd had to visit Boston, which i was unable to do in the wake of the recent tragedy (my heart goes out to everyone in Boston). but people like Jagdish and Lara (the girl who was working in the shop with him) made it a truly delightful little detour, and now i am eager to find an excuse to visit Providence again. :-)
thank you, Jagdish and Lara, for making me feel so welcome in your store and in your town! i hope to return someday, perhaps with my son... maybe by then he will have some tricks to show you with his magic rings! :-) read more