Swathi Book Stall

Swathi Book Stall is located in Golden Plaza, right across from Ganapathi Bhandarkar on Annadanappa Lane. It’s deep in the Avenue Road area, so it’s always crowded outside. We have units 61, 62, and 63. It sounds like a lot of space, but with all the books we have, it feels quite cramped. We’ve been tucked away in this plaza for a long time. The lane is narrow and you really have to know where you’re going to find us. We don't have big signs or anything. Most people find us by word of mouth or because they’ve been coming here for decades. The shop is filled with stacks of books that reach the ceiling. It’s a bit of a maze inside. We spend our days climbing ladders and digging through boxes. There’s no air conditioning, just the ceiling fans and the air coming in from the hallway. We see all kinds of people, from collectors to students looking for old textbooks. It’s a lot of manual work, moving heavy bundles of paper every day. We don't use any fancy computer systems to track the inventory. We just know what we have by looking at the shelves. It’s an old-fashioned way of doing things, but it works for us. The noise of the market is always there in the background. It’s just part of being on Avenue Road.