Spectrum

I visit this place every time I go to Thayer. It never disappoints. With the peaceful vibes, sweet workers, and random freebies; from food to rings, I would live here if I could.

I love everything they have at spectrum india, the people who work here are some of the nicest people I know and some are even friends they almost always greet you with a smile and sometimes a hug and when it’s your birthday they give you a peacock feather!

The experience in this store is nothing short of magical. I immediately made friends with the sweet manager running the shop, and we had a nice conversation. She made me feel welcome and right at home, and assisted me with finding anything I needed. This place is well-​stocked and very stylish. The prices are reasonable and the inventory unique. I particularly enjoyed browsing the fine clothing and tapestries. I will definitely be back.

This freakin’ fantastic treasure trove of spiced up eccentricity will forever be my go-​to for all of my weird zennities.
Smacked right in the heart of Thayer and almost always open, this bizarro boutique stocks everything from modern to ethnically-​inspired items from around the globe. Clothing, accessories, books, furniture, decore, snacks, incense, potpourri, candles, and even hookah coals/​pipes.
As an incense head and aspiring candle-​lighting fanatic, I cannot throw down enough praise about this store’s fantastically diverse selection. Incense-​wise, there is literally a wall of different sizes, scents, brands, and shapes — tucked right into the front of the register area. After running out of my coveted local blends from Jamaica Plain (weird, I know), I quickly found comparable replacements that boast even richer flavor tucked right in this hidden gem.
Candlewise, there are various deals on both dollar-​sized and larger burning candles. In addition to the variety of scents, Spectrum India also provides a diverse array of material choices. One of my main go-to’s here is the long-​lasting soy-​based lights. You’ll spend a bit more up front on the more gargantuan soy candles, but they burn for well over a year if maintained with some basic TLC.
The staff here is always friendly and even gives out free accessories with clothing purchases on occasion. All around my zen superstore — pop over and get lost in the racks.

I have to say, I’m just not the biggest fan of this store. I suppose their prices are good on random odds and ends, but not everything (or anything Id really feel compelled to get.) Furthermore, the owner sketched me out to the point that it was clear that he thought I was sketchy (laughable) and I just bought something to get out the door all the while feeling insulted. I would not recommend. Sure you’ll find some cheap nonsense, but is the poor treatment by the owner worth it? No. ZERO STARS.

Loved this shop. Looking for unique trinkets, beautiful summertime dresses, jewelry or incense? This is the place to go. I could spend hours browsing the isles. Cannot wait to go back.

this store is really a delightful little treasure. it’s reminiscent of a store called culture in Pittsburgh, if anyone is familiar.
they have a delightful selection of beautiful clothes (as mentioned previously, anything from bellydance outfits to hoodies, lots of gorgeous ‘hippie’ type skirts and dresses, and the loveliest selection of adorable little hats!), incense, perfume, some small musical instruments, books, indian spices, some tapestries, figurines (buddhas & kalis & ganeshas, etc), an overwhelming preponderance of beautifully hand-​carved little boxes made from wood, stone, and fabrc, stones, baubles, a ton of jewelry, etc etc — the list goes on. it’s a very cool little store that one could easily get lost in. some items are pricey, and some are very cheap — the prices are absolutely correspondent to the materials & quality of the items.
i can’t echo the others’ sentiments about the owner, Jagdish, wholeheartedly enough. he was very kind to me, and made a wonderful effort to get to know me, asking about my hometown, my family life, what brought me to providence, etc. i mentioned the great reviews this place has — both on Unilocal and google — and i specifically mentioned the warmth and admiration with which people speak of him. he was so flattered, he gently offered me his hand, and squeezed mine when i reached out to him, and told me how kind it was of me to say that. there was nothing creepy about it… it was a simple and wonderful gesture of kindness that touched my heart. i told him i was just reporting the facts! :-) i think Jagdish is a person who really cares about all people he meets, which is all too rare these days.
best of all, when i mentioned that most of my purchases were gifts for my son at home, he asked me his age. when i told him, he gave me a (complimentary) little set of ‘magic rings’ to bring home to my son along with his other gifts. :-) i try to stagger my gift-​giving to draw out the excitement and fun, so i haven’t given him the magic rings yet, but i know that he is going to love them, and i will make sure to tell my son that they were a gift from Jagdish and Lara in Providence.
providence was not on my radar. it was a detour of a plan i’d had to visit Boston, which i was unable to do in the wake of the recent tragedy (my heart goes out to everyone in Boston). but people like Jagdish and Lara (the girl who was working in the shop with him) made it a truly delightful little detour, and now i am eager to find an excuse to visit Providence again. :-)
thank you, Jagdish and Lara, for making me feel so welcome in your store and in your town! i hope to return someday, perhaps with my son… maybe by then he will have some tricks to show you with his magic rings! :-)

This is a great mom & pop shop to get lost in on ANY day.
The gentleman, owner I assume, is very helpful and friendly. I am usually curious about all sorts of things when I go inside. He’s very informative, as he has many knick knacks on indian culture. You can find clothing, henna tattoos, dream catchers, prayer statues (ie: Ganesha), trinkets.
it’s deffinitly a favorite store of mine. Very inexpensive and beautiful handcrafted items.
I have gotten several things from here, & i’ll continue to do so to make sure he stays in business.

This store is a wonderful place to find gifts. They carry astrological things, stones, Henna, clothes, jewelry, incense, Chinese lanterns, Indian food, etc. If I ever need to pass the time, this is the first place I go. i can get lost in this store for an hour or so. Not an easy feat. Each time I visit, I always leave with something. The selection of jewelry itself has me head over heels. A gorgeous variety of necklaces, earrings and bracelets will have you drooling! It’s fairly pricey but the quality more than makes up for it. The clothes vary from belly dance outfits to sweatshirts. I have found the cutest summer dresses here. And for those who are into the healing powers of stones and the like, the owner is quite knowledgeable in what you are getting.
Now here is the best part: Jagdish. If I need a piece of wisdom, I know just the man! He owns the place and he is a delightful thing! If you find something off with an item you are interested in purchasing (Rarely happens) he will give you a discount right off the bat. With every purchase, you will be able to select a free bangle or pre-​made Indian food. He will even tell you if something you are thinking of buying is worth buying at all. What I love most is talking with him. You can have a bad day and he will lift you up in no time. Feeling lost? He will provide you valuable words of wisdom. No charge.
The atmosphere here is warm and welcoming. It is always worth the trip. Even if you don’t buy anything, you get a parting gift whether it’s warm wishes, a bangle or a smile on your face.

Spectrum-​India is probably one of the last remaining awesome mom & pop shops on Thayer Street.
They offer a «spectrum» of beautiful handcrafted items; clothing, jewelry, shoes, hats, purses, candles, home décor and much more. They also have books and last time I was in there, a wall of pre-​packaged Indian food on the back wall.
I picked up the most unique bone ring, actually I have two of them, one is ivory the other is red; they’re massive, beautiful and completely unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. When I wear either of them, I always get compliments.
The staff is super dooper beyond friendly and helpful. Sometimes a little pushy? But that’s okay, because they’re really cute about it.
Also, if you’re a woman and you make a purchase; the owner, a gentleman, I don’t know his name, will let you pick out a few bangles to keep, for free!

Oh, Spectrum-​India, how I love thee. The owner is the BEST. Seriously, such a nice guy. He recognizes you if you come often.
Yes, it does have a bit of a voodoo vibe, but where else can you buy a single orange balloon? It’s really fun to look around.

I love this place. Friendly owner who loves giving away little gifts.
Unique clothing and gifts… all of pretty good quality… not made in china bulk décor.
I return often when I need a gift, a new outfit, or to just browse.

I love the owner who gives me bangles when I make a purchase! Such a kind man. One time, I refused a paper bag and he said, «May the trees bless you on this day!» I will always remember that.

Wonderful store, owner is just a peach. Ask him about his newspaper cart, and why he leaves his jewelry cases unlocked, and he’ll tell you one of him many childhood stories. He is kind, and always extending his happiness to others. Great selection of items, the clothing is so beautiful. It is pricey but worth it for the quality. He also has a unique collection spiritual, and astrological items. It’s an experience simply to visit the store and I recommend it to anyone!

This place has so much random stuff inside – everything from rain boots to jewelry to saris to belly dancing to scarfs to eyebrow threading to peacock feathers to… I could go on. The owner is really nice and is usually working behind the counter. He likes to give out free bracelets it is really a nice warm welcome/​exit after you purchase or just stop in.
The selection is really random and I think the prices are a little high but sometimes you can find a cheap pair of earrings or outfit in the discount (name a price) section. I never go in there looking for something specific but always am entertained when I stop inside. Can’t go wrong.
If you want a surprise or two and aren’t in a rush, this is your kinda place.

Sprawling shop of exotic bits-​n-​bobs, fun clothes, incense galore and good vibes on a steady flow.
As others have Unilocaled, I wholeheartedly agree that it’s Jagdish’s magic that *makes* Spectrum.
I just had to add that if you’re looking for an experience… have Jagdish do your handwriting analysis right there in the shop — $ 15 or something. You’ll be asked to meditate for a little while in a chair in the back before you write freely, plus write your ABC’s. Then you hang behind the counter and off he goes, mostly from memory but he refers to cards as well to explain how he’s reaching his interpretations. Anyone’s who’s been in the shop knows the man is masterfully intuitive, genuine, and also intense, so that all applies here. Have fun :)

Every time I’ve been here, I’ve been impressed, and so has everyone I’ve brought with me. Whether it’s my grandmother, my mother, a date, or a friend, everyone finds something to catch their attention.
The store is full of unique clothing and jewelry, and the absolutely largest collection of incense I’ve ever seen. A new-​ish display of prepackaged Indian foods lines the back wall, and there’s a nice selection of Hindi DVDs and books on spirituality.
The owner is absolutely charming and helpful, and gives special attention to every customer. Located on a busy, hip college street, this store is a perfect anchor for the neighborhood!

UPDATE:
i’m told my review for foreign affair warehouse is actually for this place. back when i posted it, though, i couldn’t for the life of me find anything that sounded remotely like it, so i thought it must be foreign affair warehouse.
but i’m pretty sure this is it.
also, i love that somebody recognized spectrum india from this review.
from: 7-​6-​2007
the owner of the warehouse may be a holy man, possibly an incarnation of krishna or the christ: this was as obvious to me as the patchouli in the air or those chandelier earrings staring me in the face. (clearly i’d been underestimating the chandelier, and this needed to be remedied.) it was equally obvious to my little sister that we had reached nirvana, or at least a kitschy warehouse version of nirvana, with bangles and ballet slippers every color of the rainbow (telltale signs of nirvana); i imagine it was also pretty obvious to her how awesome her older sister is and how said awesomeness could only be enhanced by some superb chandelier earrings. (jesus, they were blinding… or maybe i’d just found a state of grace.) while i was hypnotized, the wise man stepped down from the mountain (of dharmic figurines) and within a few brief moments had discovered all my silly foibles, laid my fears to rest, offered me the kindest words of wisdom, hell, the man even analyzed my handwriting. (turns out i’m schizophrenic. oh well. we can’t have it all, right?) my sister managed to tear herself away from her bounty — also the ugliest clothes in the world — to have her handwriting analyzed, too. (she lives in a cherry tree.) enlightenment dawned on us. (i may be schizo, but at least i don’t live in a fucking tree.) it was the age of aquarius; chandelier earrings sparkled in the sun; i almost couldn’t smell the patchouli. you might say dusty old warehouse filled with kitsch, but i say: religious experience. namaste.

I was introduced to Jagdish uncle via a friend…
I study at Johnson and wales uni and had a international fest…
uncle was kind enough to let us borrow «whatever we wanted» for the display at our fest… :)
He is such a generous and kind being.
The store may be a cluttered (lot of stuff at display)… but you will find anything you are looking for… if not a little more…
they have beautiful indian jewelry (earings, bangles), henna, indo-​western clothes, scarfs, items for décor and much more.
The girls who work der are also very friendly and creative…
if you are at thayer… dont forget to take a peek inside… you wont come out empty handed for sure!

My heart is filled with gratitude for this little treasure trove on Thayer St. The sales attendant not only provided me with complimentary directions to Federal Hill (out-​of-​towner = moi) but also gave me a discount on my faux Ugg boots and 2 free bangles and a glass ring just because he felt that my hub and I brought «good fortune» into his store. Que lindo!
You’ll find wonders untold in this store, from fashionista footwear to the makings for a belly-​dancing costume. The jewelry was a rung above thrift store, but for thrifty prices. It’s worth a gander through.