Good shoes take you to good places. What do you think? They say “Shoes speak louder than words.” Wear a pair of sneakers on your chic-looking imported formal suit and hear them shout: “We don’t belong here”. It couldn’t get any worse, can it?
On an idle Sunday afternoon, when I passed by a hip and happening street with my two happy-go-lucky feet, they exclaimed: “Let’s rescue these pair of shoes trapped in that store”. As I walked ahead, my eyes relished the sight of those colourful shoe stalls and my feet kept jumping in excitement. Any guesses, where was I? Well, I happened to be in what’s called Shoe Paradise of Bandra – Linking Road – a go-to-market for the shoeaholics for all Mumbaikars.
Linking Road is most frequented by shopaholics and shoeaholics. This street needs no introduction as it caters to the old and young, hi-class and middle class, trend-lovers and trend-setters. But have you ever thought that when did this all start?
I bumped into Zubair who caught my attention by narrating the story of “The making of this Shoe Paradise”. It all started back in 1965 when Linking Road was obscure. Back then, few visionaries who had set-up their shoe shops on Linking visualised the Linking Road of today that is glistening and gleaming with the line-up of colourful street shops and high-end designer stores. Zubair, a proud owner of a men’s shoe store, confidently pointed, with a smile on his face, that though they’ve faced huge losses during lockdown still he is quite optimistic about the future as he believes that no other shopping street can overtake the stature of Linking Road as a preferred destination for shoeaholics. No other market can beat the designs, patterns, varieties that Linking Road can offer and to top it up it doesn’t burn holes in your pocket.
While I was interacting with Zubair, a bunch of college pals showed up at his shoe stall. They asked for 10 pairs of similar-looking sneakers as they wanted to look alike at a party. I struck a conversation with those blokes to understand what made them come here? Not to my surprise, they mentioned “Linking is the place for them as they love to look chic and trendy by wearing new designs, be it clothes or shoes. No doubt it’s pocket-friendly but what makes Linking more luring is the fact that the trends keep on changing every week and they don’t need to break the bank to look cool.” Feeling nostalgic? I guess most of us used to think the same in our happy-old college days, isn’t it?
When one gets the best of both worlds on Linking then how can one miss those glimmering hi-end designer shoe stores. While I was strolling around making my way through the crowd of shoppers, suddenly a voice hit me hard – “Look there, those lovely boots belong to me. Let’s get them.” – my adorable feet screamed out pointing at the window display of a store named ShoeBiz. ShoeBiz is famed for designing customised boots, Yes, you heard it right. It’s what you want and how you want – you’re your shoe designer.
Those sassy boots of varied colours and styles were so inviting and they lured me to walk in the store to be greeted by a big infectious smile. That smile belonged to Iqbal, the store manager. While Iqbal was assisting me in finding the perfect boot for my “screaming” feet, he opened up to reveal a few interesting facts. Inaugurated in 1985, ShoeBiz brought relief to those who craved just boots. What do you want – cowboy boots, rain boots, knee-high boots? What’s your range – expensive or economical? What’s the occasion – wedding, party, trekking or just want to flash your million dollars look? You’ve got it all covered in ShoeBiz. Now, I realize why’s Linking is nicknamed “Shoe Paradise of Bandra”. When shoeaholics are spoilt for choice on Linking, there’s no turning around for them. So, it’s time for us to see you off now and let you “Treat your feet”.
