Karnataka Hardware Stores

Our store is at number 67 on Silver Jubilee Park Road, though everyone just calls it SP Road. If you have ever tried to find a parking spot around here, you know it is nearly impossible. The street is always packed with people looking for electrical bits or hardware. We have been in this spot for a long time, selling all sorts of hardware items to whoever walks in. The shop is narrow and the shelves go all the way to the ceiling, so we use a wooden ladder to reach the stuff at the top. It is a bit chaotic, but we usually know exactly where everything is hidden. We don't have a computer system to track every little screw; we just remember. It gets very loud with the traffic and the shouting of the coolies outside, but that is just the energy of the market. We take our lunch in the back of the shop, usually while still answering questions for customers. We aren't interested in opening a chain of stores or anything like that. We just like being part of this community and knowing the regulars who have been buying from us for decades. It is a lot of standing on your feet all day, and our backs ache by the evening, but it is an honest way to make a living. We keep the shop open late most days to make sure everyone gets what they need.