Where to Buy: The Best Stores For Gorgeous Fabrics in Chennai For Everything You Need

Prices start from 80 INR per metre and goes up to 300 INR  per metre, let me introduce you to the hidden paradise in Chennai tucked away in a small street called Pantheon road in Egmore, the very famous Cotton Street.

From  pure cotton, sateen cotton to denim and tissue fabrics everything is available under one roof. There are a string of around 20 – 25 shops lined next to each other.  As the name suggests cotton fabrics rule the market here. Fabrics like chiffon, tussar, georgette, and denim are available, but not velvet and other heavier fabrics. It is a smaller version of Commercial Street in Bangalore or Sarojini Nagar in Delhi, but only has multi purpose fabrics for you and your home.

Best Time to Visit:

Most shops open at 11 am and close by 8:30 pm. Few shops have varied timings, Shop no. 27 ANU fabrics  opens at 1 pm closes by 6.30 pm.

The best time to visit would be in the morning as you can get a good look at the fabrics, in the evening you are forced to look at the colors under  artificial lights and I feel it doesn’t do justice. So the earlier the better. During festival period, the place is jam packed and you will not have sufficient place to stand in.

Shopping Guide: The Best Stores to Buy Fabrics in Chennai

• Fabrics are charged per metre here. Bargaining is your best friend. If you are good at bargaining, then you can bring down the price substantially, if not make sure to tag along with a friend who bargains like a pro.
• Sometimes the vendors would not budge as they might have a fixed price for a certain fabric on all the shops so if you really like it then don’t worry and go for it cause either way you know it’s a killer deal.
• You can always find better designs in every other  shop so don’t settle immediately, take a look at all the shops before finalizing.
• And one more thing to note is a design which you got a week or even a day back might not be available the next time you visit, as the fabrics sell like hot cakes and they don’t stock the same designs.

PAYMENT OPTIONS

Almost all the shops accept electronic transactions such as debit cards and Paytm transaction, but it’s always best to carry cash. Do carry change and always keep an eye on your belongings.

INSIDER TIP: MUST VISIT SHOPS

SHOP NO. 38 & 39 K. BALASARASWATHI  – Fabrics with 65 inches width for 220 INR

SHOP NO 31 & 32 SRI SAKTHI FABRICS  & READYMADE – Starting price is 150 INR  and Erode cotton (pure cotton) costs 150 INR

SHOP NO 19 & 30 SRI JAI SAIRAM FABRICS  – Bedspreads  start from  80 INR.  The pumpkin printed fabric costs 180 INR .

SHOP NO 29 RAMESH FABRICS  – You get denim fabrics for 250 INR.

SHOP NO 57 SEKAR FABRICS – They have machine embroidered tissue fabric curtains for 250 INR.

SHOP NO 50 – Beautiful  printed sateen cotton costs 120 INR.

FABRICS

From fun and quirky prints for kids like pugs, balloons and butterflies to block printed and floral summery prints all are available under one roof in abundance, by the end of the day you will be spoilt for choice and unable to decide.

Cotton: They stock 100% pure cotton which is perfect for this scorching hot weather. They are priced around 150 -225 INR per meter.

Denim fabrics which would cost you a bomb in other high end places are available for just  250 INR here and are perfect as sofa covers and they have a plethora of  color options too.

Tissue: Beautiful tissue fabrics with machine embroidery are available for throwaway prices. Exquisite prints will steal your hearts this summer , from vibrant colors to soft pastel shades all range of prints are available here.

Two constant fabrics which are always obtainable here and always in trend are Ikat and Pochampally. They are multi purpose fabrics, can be used to make dresses or cushion covers. Quite famous among the locals from Pondicherry. These prints are constantly available in all the shops so if they are not willing to reduce the price then move on to the next shop you will surely get the same print with discounted price.

LOCATION: HOW TO GET THERE

Cotton street, Pantheon road, Egmore, Chennai – 600 008

There is no parking facility available for cars, very little space is available for bikes so take a cab or an auto.

LANDMARK

 In between Co-optex showroom and Konica photo lab.

HAPPY SHOPPING

Always be aware of your surroundings, it is easy to get carried away in all the fabric madness so be vigilant. So what are you waiting for put on a hat, carry a water bottle and your good to go. Have fun shopping.