G. R. Krishnaiah Chetty & Sons

Our shop, G. R. Krishnaiah Chetty & Sons, is down in George Town at 206, Govindappa Naicken St. If you know George Town, you know how crowded it gets. The streets are narrow and there’s always someone hauling a cart or a scooter squeezing past. We’ve been at this address for generations. The building is old and has that specific smell of wood and time. We don't have air conditioning, just some old ceiling fans that buzz all day. We keep the registers by hand mostly. It’s a family thing, so there’s always someone from the family around the place. We talk to the regulars who have been coming here since they were kids. It’s not about being the biggest or anything. We just like the way we do things. Govindappa Naicken St. is a hectic place to be, but it feels like home to us. We open up early and sweep the front step every morning. There’s no marketing department here. We just put the goods out and wait for people to stop by. Sometimes the power goes out and we just sit in the dark and wait for it to come back on. That’s just how it is in this part of town. We are 206, and we’ve been here long enough that the postman doesn't even need to look at the number anymore. We close for a bit in the afternoon for a quick nap before the evening rush starts.