INDIAN DESIGNERS IN EXCLUSIVE NEW JERSEY MALL
Edison, New Jersey, October 25, 2007 (IANS)

The first US mall exclusively for Indian designers has opened in Edison - and is doing brisk business. Ritu Kumar, Satya Paul, Manish Malhotra, Payal Singhal and Deepika Gehani are among the Indian labels represented at The Mall on the Oak Tree Road. The mile long road that touches both Edison and Iselin is known as 'Little India' because it is choc-a-bloc with Indian supermarkets, eateries & jewellery outlets.

Most of the spacious mall's 18 stores are occupied. Art Karat, Tanishq, D'damas and Gili are among the Indian jewellery brands that have booked space. "It is a one stop shop for buying Indian labels, whether apparel or accessories. It's something South Asians here will be proud of," mall owner Triloki Nath Batra told IANS.

Batra decided to open the mall when he noticed that many Indian Americans buy stuff from Indian designers while visiting India and Indians visiting the US had access only to American brands. The Mall has a built up area of 15,000 sq feet and cost about $8 million. Batra, who hails from Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh and moved to the US in 1995, plans to take his concept to Manhattan, Atlanta and Los Angeles.

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