Singla General Store

Our shop, Singla General Store, is right in the middle of the Main Bazaar area in Amritsar. The exact address is 45, Sardar Avenue. It’s a very lively part of town, and there’s always something happening outside the door. I open up the shutters every morning and the first thing I do is sweep the front. We sell all sorts of things like kitchen spices, oils, and snacks. Amritsar is famous for its food, and people here are very particular about what they buy for their kitchens. I’ve learned a lot over the years about which brand of tea or which type of rice people prefer. The shop is quite old, and you can see it in the wooden racks that have been there since my uncle’s time. It’s not a modern supermarket where you pick things yourself. You tell me what you want, and I get it for you from the shelves. It’s more personal that way. We get a lot of regulars who have been coming here for decades. Sometimes the bazaar gets so crowded that it’s hard for the supply trucks to reach us. Dealing with the heat in the summer is the hardest part, but we manage. It's a simple, honest business and we just take it one day at a time. Nothing more to it, really. I hope my son takes over one day and keeps it going just like this for the neighborhood.