The rainbow has come to an end and there's no pot of gold. Not in Bandra at least for Azaad Bazaar, the neighbourhood’s – and possibly the city’s – first LGBT pride store is packing its wares and moving to Goa. They’ll hit the road on October 29, this shop that in addition to organising book readings and cool events, also sold queer literature, fun knick knacks and sexy staples. Fake lashes and fur handcuffs, you will be missed.

But a chat with Simran, one of the brand’s co-founders revealed that travel had always been on the agenda. “We’d always envisioned Azaad Bazaar to be a store that would move around,” she says. And get around it will.

Hit the Road, Jack

A look at Azaad Bazaar’s travel itinerary for the year reveals stops in Goa, Bangalore and Delhi. “The next six months we’ll spend in sunny Goa, selling Azaad Bazaar’s products at the Saturday night flea market in Arpora. We’ll then hit Bangalore and Delhi for exhibits and fly back to Mumbai in 2012 for the pride festival,” she says. There’s even talk of finding another Mumbai space later that year. So it's really more of a see-you-soon situation rather than a final goodbye. 

Tetra Pack Man

And Azaad Bazaar won’t drive into the sunset without leaving a few bits behind. The store’s co-founders have been busy working on an in-house line called Azbaz Upcycle that they will retail at several Mumbai stores, as well as on their website. The idea behind the line is not to recycle, but give products an upgrade, transforming them into better beings. “We have fun Tetra pack accessories as well as jewellery made with beer cans,” they tell bpb. It's like a going away drink and present both rolled into one!

Getting there: Azaad Bazaar, 16th/33rd Road, Bandra (W), opposite Mini Punjab, call 9930212636 or visit www.azaadbazaar.com, store shuts on October 29.