After spending much of your quality time in one of the world's most beautiful hill stations, who would not like to take a little souvenir of this golden time with them? From the terrains of this quiet and trampling hill station which offers calm and serenity to one's mind, there are a few beautiful places in and around Mukteshwar to go for retail therapy at the end of the day.
You would like to spend some of your time going from one street to another looking for the appropriate gift that will show your love and affection to your people, in addition to collecting a small token of love for yourself or a loved one. Shopping in Mukteshwar itself is a very wholesome experience.
Mukteshwar doesn't have fancy malls or supermarkets. After all, anyone visiting Mukteshwar wants to relax and have a breath of fresh air rather than going again on the loop of going to some fancy malls, supermarkets, or restaurants, which they can also do in the “big cities." Do not have high expectations for some beautiful malls and supermarts, but rather expect some breathtaking scenes and sights for your sore eyes.
Here are a few highlights of Mukteshwar's lovely small shops that, when visited, will sum up your entire trip in one go.
● Kilmora shop
● Nirvana -organic store
● Choco house chocolatiers
The Kilmora Shop
Promoted by Kumaon Grameen Udhyog, a social enterprise working with the hill community, The Kilmora shop is very well known among the locals and tourists for its various types of artifacts. The shop offers very well-made products from local artisans.
You can buy hand-made shawls, sweaters, cardigans, and other woolen stuff from this shop at a reasonable price, and if you are a makeup lover, you can also check out a few of the cosmetics available locally and made by the people in the vicinity. You can also buy organic jams, jellies, and conserves.
The Kilmora shop has several outlets in surrounding areas, all of which are neatly organized and displayed category by category. They are staffed by the locals, who very enthusiastically answer your questions and entice you to browse around leisurely, tempting you to buy a sweet souvenir for your near and dear ones.
All the clothes are made by the local ladies, trained by an NGO. The proceeds go to further expand their business and provide welfare to needy people.
Choco House Chocolatiers
The Choco House is a chocolate lover's paradise. The Choco House chocolate shop has become a big attraction for tourists visiting Mukteshwar. The shop specializes in selling some of the best handmade chocolate; the chocolate shop is the only shop in the region that sells hand-made, center-filled European chocolate and delicious chocolate brownies and fudges.
The chocolate is available in cute gift boxes as well as in loose form if you just want to try it. The chocolate boxes filled with hand-made chocolate make some of the best souvenirs to take back to your friends and families. The following chocolate shop is owned and managed by Mountain Trail Resort.
You can also mix and match and customize your cute little gift boxes according to the taste and preferences of the receiver. Also check out the liquor-based chocolates in this chocolate shop, such as cognac, rum, and other liquor-based chocolates. This souvenir shop should be on your list of must-checks.
Nirvana Organic store
The Nirvana Organic Store promotes the work of local women farmers in the Mukteshwar region by selling some of the organic products made by locals and farmers in the region. Encouraging and supporting them to cultivate crops /handicrafts using local ingredients they display and sell products like herbs, oils, soaps, pickles, jams, jellies, etc.
You can carry some of the locally made chutneys, pickles, jams, and jellies as a gifting option too. The shop also sells organic eateries like cow ghee, butter, organic pulses, ragi, etc.
They also have a beautiful cafe on the same premises, which offers you the opportunity to taste many of their products. And they sure do taste like heaven!
Although a beautiful town for exploration and expedition, Mukteshwar doesn't serve the tourists with large, fancy malls and markets to shop and splurge a lot. The shops and markets are very much local, and one has to go from one small shop to another to find the kind of gift or souvenir they want to take back home.