The narrow lanes of Bohri Ali in Raviwar Peth have long carried the sounds of a busy trading market: shopkeepers calling out to customers, the clatter of hardware being moved and the steady exchange of goods. For generations, the market was where Punekars came looking for everything from nuts and bolts to paint, pipes and household fittings. Today, however, the familiar hardware shops are increasingly sharing space with stores selling festive decorations, plastic goods, perfumes and other items. In a market that is around 200 years old, the changing shopfronts tell a story of one trade slowly giving way to another.

Bohri Ali derives its name from the Bohra community, whose merchants settled in the area during the Peshwa era, making it an important commercial and community hub. The lane was traditionally known for hardware, industrial and agricultural tools, paints, stationery and other utility goods.…