Objects like collectibles: The General Items store in Bengaluru doubles up as a gallery and a community space

Three reasons to visit objects like collectibles. It’s a new world for retail and design in Bengaluru with the General Items store by Tiipoi’s Spandana Gopal alongside sourcing consultant Malini Malik. A former school provisions store in Ulsoor, Bengaluru, has metamorphosed into an artistic General Items design store; the name derived from its original avatar that sold notebooks and other everyday items as traces of past peek through its modern-industrial aesthetic now.

1. Rethinking luxury The store materialises as luxury rooted in simplicity, emphasising on craftsmanship and our emotional relationship with everyday objects. The focus was to retail Tiipoi for the first time along with other like-minded designers and studios, paying homage to multiple kinds of techniques, materials and mediums.

2. An occasional gallery The idea is to switch up the collection with a new theme every quarter. The inaugural collection Showcase 01: Objects of Emotion, corresponds to the idea of a gallery displaying different exhibits. The current display explores the relationship with objects through our daily acts of living.

3. Experience for the community Even though the store is just 300 sq ft, the space translates into a personal experience for the patrons. Spandana and Malini seek to create an inspiring haven where the visitors can interact with product makers, authors, designers and brands through regular Meet the Makers sessions.

Read More: What do women want? To shop with the female gaze at Amisha Kothari’s Mumbai store