On your Panjim excursion as a tourist, you might perchance come upon a store nestled in the main shopping area along MG Road. Goa Stories is a souvenir shop that at once catches your eye because of its aesthetic set up as well as its name.
Step inside the shop and you will indeed find stories of Goa being told through the many items that reflect Goa’s culture, art, history and ethos. And that was the goal of Mandar Acharya, who owns Goa Stories – to convey to the world how rich and glorious Goa’s culture is.
All one has to do is enter and experience the vivid colours and art of a genius like Mario Miranda and, more recently, Billytoons. Azulejos, traditional Goan occupations, scenic depictions of Goa, the cockerel, among other things, can be taken away as souvenirs of your trip to Goa. These are emblazoned on tiles, T-shirts, mugs, postcards, tote bags, lampshades, coasters, key chains and fridge magnets.
Prints of paintings and statues portraying Mario Miranda’s cartoon characters are also on display. The fine quality of these products is undeniable and far removed from the generic Goan souvenirs you find in most places.
The shop has been in Mandar’s family since 1930, run as a wholesale shop by his great grandfather, selling grains and other items. “We used to get potatoes from Holland, because Goa was a Portuguese colony, and sell them,” says Mandar.
After his great grandfather passed away, the shop was run by his grandfather until 2005 as a general store. Mandar says, “We moved from wholesale to retail. We were the first retail store for Cadbury’s. We used to sell Cadbury’s from a separate counter in 1975. Even Hindustan Lever – we used to sell all their products from 1975 onwards.”
As the location grew more commercialised, the family gave the shop out on rent. In 2017, however, Mandar decided to utilise the shop to start his own venture.
Mandar approached Gerard da Cunha for a Mario Miranda store the same year. Gerard had a shop selling Mario Miranda products located behind Mandar’s shop, near Hindu Pharmacy. He agreed to showcase some of the products at Mandar’s shop because there were more products than could be displayed.
Until 2021, the shop was a full-fledged franchisee of Mario Gallery. Gerard later decided to have a bigger store further along in Panjim. Because of the good relations maintained between the two, Gerard agreed to let Mandar continue selling Mario Miranda products.
Mandar says, “Mario Miranda is one of the greatest artists not only in Goa but in India. No one else has depicted Goa the way Mario Miranda has. I thought it was a great opportunity to carry on his legacy.”
But Mandar could not have the shop selling Mario Miranda products exclusively. As he travelled, he came upon quality souvenir stores which gave him the idea to have a shop that was more broad-based, naming it Goa Stories.
“I thought I would have Mario Miranda plus something more. I wanted to promote local art and ensure people took home quality items from Goa,” says Mandar.
The customers at Goa Stories include foreign tourists as well as high-end domestic tourists. “They get to see another side of Goa here and truly appreciate the art and culture of the state,” says Mandar.
Mandar, who is state head of Kotak’s asset management team, does not find as much time as he would like to spend at the shop. But he has plans to add to the products by introducing other local items. Some food items from Karma’s have already found a space at the shop as well as books on Goa’s culture.
Ever eager to promote local artists, Mandar says that the production of items has to be on a sustainable basis.
“What I have found is that if you give a repeat order, you don’t get consistent supply. You need government support, too, to promote Goa’s art and culture,” says Mandar, explaining that there are plenty of artists, but they don’t have the wherewithal to scale up their business.
Despite the Mario Gallery just a little way down the road, Goa Stories still manages to do well in terms of sales, with the Mario Miranda products accounting for at least 30 to 40 per cent of the sales volume.
Mandar envisions great things for the charming shop with its authentic Goan character, expressing that it will in time establish itself as a promoter of local Goan art.
LOCATION: Near Vero Moda, MG Road, Altinho, Panaji, Goa - 403001