Adaiyar Rathna Store

Our shop, Adaiyar Rathna Store, is located at number 17 on Anna Street. We are very close to the bus stop in Karapakkam, which makes it easy for people getting off the bus to stop by. It’s a small place, really. We’ve been here in Chennai for some time now. You can usually find the basic groceries you need for dinner or breakfast. We don’t carry everything, just the main things like rice, oil, and some spices. The floor is concrete and we have a few ceiling fans to keep the air moving. It’s noisy because of the buses passing by all the time. Sometimes the shelves get a bit disorganized when we are busy, but we fix them when things quiet down. We use plastic bags for those who forget their own, though we prefer if people bring a cloth one. The light inside isn’t the brightest, but it works. I handle the billing myself on a small calculator. There isn’t much space for more than three or four people at once inside. We know the neighbors well since they’ve been coming here for years. It’s a quiet life, mostly. We open up early and stay till the last bus crowd thins out. If we run out of something, we just write it on a piece of cardboard to remind ourselves to order more.