HUNT

The Health Shop

The Health Shop opened its doors to a discerning clientele eighteen years ago. Since then, the world in general and India in particular, has made great strides as far as awareness of health products is concerned. As pioneers in the world of edible health foods, herbal cosmetics and aromatherapy, the shop has come a long way in providing healthier food choices, herbal remedies and pure essential oils.

The mission is to spread the message of a healthier lifestyle by guiding and providing people with health foods and encouraging them to adopt correct dietary practices. Formed in 1991, The Health Shop has gained a reputation for providing its customers with a wide range of healthy choices. The store in Mumbai is located opposite Jaslok Hospital.

Vinita Mathur, the founder of the store, has left no stone unturned in helping you find a wide range of eco friendly organic products such as brown rice, pulses, a variety of flours, spices, teas. These products are grown without the use of chemical fertilizers or pesticides. Such practices can produce positive environmental benefits and do not harm soil, water, wildlife or delicate ecosystems.

The store also has houses herbal cosmetics that are often made from pure botanical extracts which minimizes the use of synthetic perfumes and chemicals. Pure natural ingredients such as tulsi, henna, sandalwood and turmeric are tilised. Their eco friendly pure aromatherapy oils are also very versatile. Vinita says, "Oils also have mood enhancing properties. Many an insomniac has found solace in the soporific qualities of marjoram, orange oil or lavender!"

Just like their wide range of products the customers too are a varied bunch - from the health conscious to the gravely ill. Some come to the shop for weight control issues while others want to improve their appearance. There are infants whose parents are particular about putting them on the right diet and at the other end of the spectrum are geriatric patients. Needless to say, there is some eco friendly product that suits the budget of every kind of shopper. The Health Shop New #14 Peddar Road, Charni Road

Cumbala Hill Mumbai 400026 Landmark: Opposite Wama Showroom Phone: 022-23524122

Eco Corner

A quaint little store at Atria Mall, Eco Corner is India's first eco-friendly product store that houses over 5000 products. It was conceived with two objectives: to make eco-friendly products more accessible to a larger segment of society both geographically and economically and to provide a platform for rural artisans in India.

Committed to this cause, the store has a range of natural products: banana fibre, hemp, vetiver, palm leaves, bamboo, handmade wood-free paper stationery, recycled newspaper products, handmade ceramics. That everything is washable, even the newspaper basket, is what really scores a point at Eco Corner.

Urvashi Mody, the owner, feels that the idea is that if I want someone to stop using plastic and move to an eco-friendly natural, biodegradable product, it should be maintenance free and reusable. We try and use vegetable dyes keeping in mind the costs. I travel to the villages personally and train the local artists to make the products. "Apart from baskets, home decor, handmade stationery, the store also has aroma chemical free products, a range of pure and natural bath and body range and a shelf dedicated to the mentally challenged, where they sell their products.

When you think of an eco-friendly product or store you would think of natural tones of brown, beige or red, right? Eco Corner has every colour of the rainbow! The store also conducts talks and workshops (free of cost) for children and women to become eco friendly and contribute towards the cause of saving the earth. So be it a four year old or an eighty year old, the idea is to make each one environmentally conscious.

And it is for this reason that Urvashi strives to make them aware of their surroundings and how as an individual each one can make a difference. Eco Corner is one of its kind - they introduce a new collection or range or products every fifteen days at the store and the response, Urvashi says, has been overwhelming. The store now has plans to open another branch that will have organic food and clothes on its shelves. Eco Corner, Shop No. 153, 1st floor, Atria Mall, Dr. Annie Besant Road, Worli, Mumbai 400018 Tel: 24813450