Hyderabad: They say that finding hidden treasures in a city is an art by itself, and the city is not exactly the first name that comes to mind when people generally are looking to purchase or find any vintage items or unique collectables. Old watches, for example are always in vogue and many people often look at online sellers to find vintage time pieces (affordability is another matter altogether).
And that is where the expertise of Hyder Hussain, 43, comes into the picture. Hailing from an old Hyderabadi family, the man runs ‘Art Treasure’, a vintage or antique store in Abids that houses a wide range of interesting artefacts that include century old chandeliers, pre-owned luxury watches, wall clocks, grandfather clocks and other art pieces like statues and paintings.
“Our store was earlier situated at lakdikapul, but now I am run it out of Babukhan Mall (Basheerbagh). Our business is around 40 years old which was originally started by my father Mushtaq Hussain. He was known famously as Mushtaq Nawab,” said Mr Hussain. The owner of Art Treasure in Hyderabad told Siasat.com that his father began collecting vintage items as a hobby and later turned it into a store.
The antique store at Basheerbagh in Hyderabad is a visual treat for anyone who is interested in old or vintage items to decorate their homes. From furniture to porcelain figures, Mr. Hussain said that anything that is collectible will be found at his shop. “I personally like vintage items. This is both my passion and business. I get customers daily and I also have my networks apart from doing business online,” he added.
His shop in Hyderabad also has time pieces like wall clocks made by companies such as West End and Kenzill. His pre-owned luxury watches are also a collection he is very proud of. “We have watches starting from Rs 1,000, but some cost lakhs of rupees. Some of the brands I sell are Omega, Longines, Cartier, Patek Philippe, Panerai, Rado, Titus, Oris, etc. I also have old coins and notes that are out of print for collectors,” Mr Hussain added.
Given that his shop has antique furniture, Art treasure also rents out some of its furniture for shoots, said Mr. Hussain. “We sell, repair and also rent out items say for shooting. The chandeliers here each cost upwards of Rs 15,000. These are handmade, from Belgium, France etc decades ago,” he pointed out.
For those who are interested in visiting the store, they can contact Mr. Hussain at 9885051509 (customers are always requested to call him before visiting).
