Richard Hyman of Verdict Research, a retail research company, says that people will desert traditional shopping streets in favour of the rain-and car-free walkways of malls if city centres have no obvious counter-attractions such as a big department store.
Desert Artisans' wares, in turn, find their way onto the shelves of Fabindia, a leading retail chain of handcrafted garments and home products, including furniture, upholstery, handwoven rugs and organic foods.