Crowds throng a kiosk selling bangles at the fair on Thursday. (Hardeep Singh)

Ranchi is shopping smart at an ongoing handloom and handicraft expo that has been organised at zilla school ground near Shaheed Chowk.

The fortnight-long expo, christened Disneyland Fair, has been drawing crowds by the dozens with residents making the most of the occasion to shop for cheap furnishing items, furniture, ethnic jewellery, artificial flowers and other artefacts.

The fair, which kicked off on July 20, has registered a footfall of around 20,000 already, with the number likely to shoot up on Friday — the last scheduled day. The average footfall has been around the 1,500-2,000 mark daily.

The fair, which has seen 200 kiosks being set up, is offering a wide range of artefacts from states like Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Delhi, Rajasthan and Bihar.

And if the collection on offer is spoiling the Ranchiites for choices, a discount of around 10-15 per cent on all the products on offer is an added attraction.

“The fair has proved to be a one-stop destination for shopping at reasonable prices. The teakwood furniture showcased from Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur are to die for,” said Morabadi resident Malini Singh, who went home happy with a wooden centre table worth Rs 2,000.

Cashing in on the mad rush are also various rides at the fair like Mickey Mouse, Giraffe toy train, Break Dance and Octopus, which are keeping the little ones busy when their parents go out shopping.

The fair is open for the public from 4.30pm to 9.30pm daily. The entry fee per head is Rs 5.

The kiosk owners too are excited with the sales figures that they have notched in the past ten days or so. “Overall sales figure has been good,” said Md Mushtaq, a kiosk owner.

The organisers claimed that the aim of the fair was to provide rural artisans of various states a platform to showcase their talent

“This year wall hangings, candle stands, key ring stand flower pots, corner table and bangle stands carved out of teak wood had been the top draw so far,” said Mahesh Kumar, an organiser.

He added that the response had been so overwhelming that they might consider extending the duration of the fair and making it a month-long affair.

Raju Singh, a Mumbai-based artisan who has stocked up on ladies handbags, said customers from all walks of life were thronging the expo.

“We are selling a variety of bags that have been priced between Rs 100-500. These bags are durable, long lasting and can be used on all occasions,” Singh said.

Echoing Singh, Rajasthan’s Braj Kishore said ethnic jewellery was second on the wish list of Ranchi residents after the teakwood furniture items. “The jewellery displayed by me are a hit among the foreign tourists and college students. They are handcrafted by rural women,” he said.

Patna’s Ramesh Prasad said he was happy with the kind of business he had done selling 3D photo frames of deities.