P.C. Dutt

You can find us at B-46 in the New Market. It’s an old building, and we’ve been here longer than most of the other shops on this row. We mainly handle general goods and some stationery items, though the stock changes depending on what people are asking for lately. The sign outside is a bit faded from the sun, but we haven't gotten around to repainting it yet. Inside, it’s mostly just rows of wooden counters and glass cases that have seen better days. We don't use a computer for much, still doing a lot of the bookkeeping by hand in those big red ledgers. It’s just easier that way for us to keep track. The morning starts with sweeping the front step and getting the lights on. Usually, a few neighbors stop by just to talk about the news before the actual customers show up. We don't have a big staff, just a couple of us who know where everything is kept. If you need something specific, you usually have to wait a minute while we dig it out from the back room. The back room is a bit of a disaster area, but there’s a system to it that only we understand. It's a quiet life for the most part, except for when the school kids come in all at once in the afternoon. We just try to provide what people need without making a big fuss about it.