Bablu General Store

We’ve been here at the Sabji Mandi on Kheria Road for quite a while now. Most people around Agra know this spot because it gets so busy in the mornings when the vegetables arrive. I usually open the shutters early, maybe around seven, and start dusting the jars and checking what needs to be put back on the shelves. It’s a small place, really. You’ll find things like pulses, sugar, some local snacks, and basic toiletries piled up. Sometimes it’s a bit of a mess because there isn’t much storage space, but we know where everything is kept. Customers come in after they finish their vegetable shopping, usually looking for a packet of tea or some salt they forgot to buy earlier in the week. The fan makes a bit of noise in the corner, but it helps when the afternoon heat kicks in. We don’t do anything fancy here. It’s just about having the stuff people need for their kitchens every day. I spend a lot of time talking to the regulars about the weather or how the prices of oil are going up again. It feels like a second home because I’m here more than I’m at my actual house. My nephew helps out sometimes when the school is closed. We just try to keep the stock ready so nobody goes back empty-handed. If you walk past the main vegetable stalls, you’ll see our blue sign eventually. It’s nothing special, just a regular shop.