How often have you asked a friend who’s travelling overseas, to get you a Dexter Bobble Head or an X-Men Action Figure? And after the constant reminding and requesting, the wait for it to finally arrive is very taxing. But that’s all about to change with BombayMerch.

In 2010, when 24-year-old IT graduate Akshay Butani’s IT Company stint with his friends didn’t go as planned, little did he know that his passion for collecting memorabilia and love for music (Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd, Zeppelin are his favourite bands) could turn into one of the coolest pop culture merchandise online stores in the country!

After tying up with 6 of the largest Licensing/Publishing companies based in the UK and the US, BombayMerch  is now India’s biggest pop culture merchandise retailer of apparels, posters, prints accessories, gaming, collectibles…phew…their list is huge! From music, movies, TV shows to comics, humour, art and more – these guys have it all covered with their 100% officially licensed products (read: goodbye salary).

So I decided to unravel the story behind BombayMerch and here’s what Akshay had to share, “I always wanted to start something of my own. So when the IT Company didn’t work out, I spent a lot of time searching for something that I could see a good prospect in. This search took me to my greatest passion – music. I used to collect memorabilia and I realized that it was something that could easily be turned into a business! And bang, that’s where BombayMerch came into being.”

Predictably, people around him advised him to join his father’s business. But Akshay was determined. “I wasn’t willing to take care of something that I didn’t build. Starting your own thing is indeed like being on the edge, but those sleepless nights spent figuring the tiniest details for BombayMerch is what made this journey worthy. I guess my humility helped me become the businessman I am today. And the fear of not growing and stagnating drives me towards outdoing myself every day.”

So now that we can finally get the official merchandise in the country, what about the pricing and delivery? “Price range starts from as low as Rs. 150 and can go up to Rs 4000. We provide free delivery for order above Rs. 300. Also, our deliveries are pretty fast. Customers in Chennai have received their order within 14 hours. No kidding!” says Akshay.

Now we know that BombayMerch is not a Mumbai focused online store. So, why call it ‘Bombay’Merch? To which he replied, “I have named it BombayMerch because I am from Bombay and I love this city. This city is a mix of so many cultures, sounds, sights, glamour which attracts so many Indians! And “Merch” here is an acronym for Merchandise. Thus, Bombay Merch!”

What I love about BombayMerch is that it has something for everybody, be it my 10-year-old Ben10 fanatic nephew or my art enthusiast aunt. In fact, I’ve just ordered for these super-thin and supercool Mighty Wallets on their website today.

I’m sold to this website. Literally!