R. V. Shawls Store

Katra Ahluwalia is always a busy place to be, especially where we are, right opposite Hanuman Market. At R. V. Shawls Store, we have been dealing with different kinds of fabrics and wraps for a long time. The shop is filled with stacks of items reaching up to the lights. During the colder months, it gets really crowded in here. People come in from all over to look through the piles. We don't have those fancy mannequins or bright spotlights. We mostly just pull things down from the shelves and let people feel the material for themselves. My hands are usually dry from handling the wool and cloth all day. The floor is made of old stone, and it stays cold even when it’s warm outside. We keep a tally in a big ledger book by the entrance. Sometimes the lights flicker when the market gets too busy, but we just keep going. It’s a lot of folding and unfolding. By the end of the day, my back usually aches a bit from leaning over the counters. Hanuman Market across the street is a good landmark, so people find us eventually. We don't spend much time on decorations. The stock is the main thing you see when you walk in. It’s a lot of work keeping it all sorted by color and size, but we manage. We’ve seen the market change a lot over the years, but our corner stays mostly the same.