Fashion & Freedom

The shop here at Phoolchauk has been around for a while now. We keep things pretty simple in Lakhminia. It’s just a small space filled with clothes we pick out ourselves. Most days start early with sweeping the front and getting the hangers organized again because things always end up messy by evening. Ballia gets quite hot, so we try to keep the place as cool as possible for whoever walks in. People usually come in looking for something to wear for a wedding or just something new for the season. We don't have fancy displays or anything like that. It's mostly just us sitting here, talking to neighbors and showing whatever arrived in the last shipment. Some days are really busy and others we just sit and watch the traffic go by at the chauk. We’ve seen the area change quite a bit over the years. The racks are crowded and sometimes it's hard to find exactly what you want right away, but we know where everything is. We don't really do much advertising. Folks just know we are here near the crossing. It’s a bit of a squeeze when more than three people are inside at once. We handle everything from the cleaning to the accounts ourselves. It’s a lot of work but it keeps us busy. We just try to get through the day and make sure the shop is ready for the next morning.