KARACHI: These days there is suddenly more than usual activity being seen at the biggest Lunda Bazaar (or flea market) of the city in the Lighthouse locality off M.A. Jinnah Road.

There are big bales full of secondhand clothing piled up outside many shops at the market as shopkeepers take out from the racks the T-shirts, shirts, tops, blouses, shorts, skirts, jumpsuits, rompers, etc., to make space for sweaters, cardigans, coats, jackets, warm woolen trousers, quilts and blankets.

“Well, November is around the corner. Just wait for the chilly winds from Quetta to blow in Karachi, and all these winter clothes will sell like hot cakes,” Rehmatullah, a shopkeeper, tells Dawn.

Many shops are displaying children’s sizes. “We get too many customers looking for children’s clothes. They are a priority with parents. For themselves, they shop later,” says Shahryar, selling cute kids clothing from mittens, hats and socks to jackets and sweaters.

“Look at the cost of living. Inflation these days is at its highest. And my children grow bigger and taller each season. I can’t afford to buy them brand new clothes every winter that they also outgrow soon. It is better to recycle warm clothes,” a customer at Shahryar’s shop comments as she along with her sister just hop inside the little shop to dig out gems from the piles of clothing on the floor instead of pointing out things for the shopkeeper to pull out for them.

There is a green Christmas dress that has LEDs that light up. The sisters eye it greedily but then decide not to fall for the glitz and glamour after hearing that it costs Rs400. “It’s cute but useless for us,” one of them mutters to the other.

The ideal rate for warm clothes is Rs100 to Rs250 a piece. Khan Badshah, who has been running his small shop in this market for some 30 years now, feels that all customers are there looking for cheap bargains so that is what he offers them. “These clothes are also of a far better quality than our local clothes selling for much higher,” Badshah points out. “They are made for American and European markets. People also buy them for their quality,” he adds.

Asked if they get customers returning with a piece of clothing, Sohail Khan, whose shop is right across from Badshah’s, nods. “Yes, as a matter of fact they come back to exchange something or the other if the person they bought something for at home wants a colour change or size change. We have no issues with that but getting another of the same in another colour or size is not possible here. Each piece is unique. But they are more than welcome to fish for anything else in its place,” he smiles.

The market also has plenty of quilts and blankets. “They have been cleaned before being sent here in containers from abroad but you may also have them dry-cleaned, aired or leave them in the sun for a few hours for your own peace of mind,” says Tufail Khan, a seller, who was offering a quilt for Rs300 to Rs400 only.

Published in Dawn, October 29th, 2021