Ambika Appalam Depot

If you walk down 4th Street in Abhiramapuram, you’ll find us at 65 C P Ramaswamy Road. This place, Ambika Appalam Depot, has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. Chennai can get so humid that some days you just want to sit still, but there’s always something that needs doing. We spend a lot of time checking the stock and making sure everything is dry and ready. The shelves are mostly full of the stuff people expect to find here. We get a lot of older folks who have been coming to this specific part of Chennai for decades. They usually have a list and a story to tell about how the neighborhood used to look before all the new buildings went up. We don’t have a big team or anything, just a few of us making sure the bags are packed right. Sometimes we run out of something popular and have to tell people to come back tomorrow. It’s just how a small shop runs. The floor is old stone and the light isn't very bright in the corners, but it feels right to us. We don't spend money on big signs or anything like that. People know we are here. Every day is about weighing things out, chatting with the neighbors, and closing up when the sun goes down. It’s steady work and it keeps us busy from morning till night.