B. D. Handicrafts Emporium

If you’ve ever walked through the Main Bazar in Paharganj, you know how loud and colorful it is. Our shop is number 5084. It’s a small space, but we’ve packed it with all kinds of handicrafts from different parts of the country. We don't have a website with fancy photos or a PR team. It's just us in the shop, dusting off the shelves and talking to whoever walks in. We get locals and people just passing through. The stuff we sell is made by hand, so sometimes there are little flaws or the colors aren't perfectly even, but that’s what makes them real. We've been in this same spot for a long time. The street outside is always full of noise, cows, and rickshaws, but inside it's a bit quieter among the wood carvings and textiles. We spend our mornings opening up the shutters and setting things out. It’s not a high-end gallery, just a regular emporium where we try to find a home for the things craftsmen make. We don't have a set script for when customers come in. We just show them what we have and tell them what we know about where it came from. Some days it’s very quiet and we just sit and drink tea, and other days it’s a total mess of people. We like the chaos of Paharganj, though. It’s been our home for years and we know most of the other shopkeepers around here.