City Markets – Nursery Furniture Market

Nursery furniture market is somewhat bereft of ideas now. The furniture at majority of the shops is not original; lacks quality and aesthetics. It is price competitive though which makes it relevant for present day Karachi, where rising cost of living has made affordable functionality more important than any other feature. An Indian filmmaker once said that we have taken poetry out of our lives and given in to pragmatism. Well it seems to be the case across the border as well.

There are three shops which make a visit to Nursery worthwhile. First on this list is Nazar sons, which is well known for dealing in second hand vintage furniture. They used to have a shop on the fringes of Defence that they closed sometime back. However they still have shop in Nursery which smells of teak. The shop has eclectic collection of furniture as it is fed through second hand collection and every piece is worth stopping at. There is a small workshop at the end where old furniture is given a makeover. This Saturday I found resident carpenters exploring a vintage ‘Munshi’ desk, one with many secret small drawers.

A little further from the Nazar sons shop are two small shops. They have an eclectic range of second hand household items ranging from lamps to cutlery. The shops are much cleaner for those dealing in second hand items and the items are way too clean for second hand items. It appears that both shop owners are very selective in buying second hand items. The crystal lamps and showpieces are exceptional. They look new. They are almost as expensive as new ones or I don’t know because glittery shops of Karachi dealing in crystals have prohibitive displays. The display at both shops is something worthy of a note. The walls are adorned with classic clocks, frames and decorated ceramic plates. There’s beautiful cutlery and lamps in their collection. This display might not be the same when you choose to visit it because both these shops depend on people who sell their stuff.