Ganapathy Store

Down here on Appar Swamy Koil Street in Mylapore, things feel a bit old-fashioned. We are at No.85, not too far from Vivekananda College. Because of the college, we get a lot of students coming in for pens, notebooks, or a quick snack between their classes. It’s a narrow street, and when the temple processions go by, everything stops for a bit while the drums pass. Our store has been here for a long time. The shelves are made of heavy wood and they’re packed with all the groceries you’d need for a Chennai kitchen—tamarind, pulses, and spices. It smells like coffee and soap inside most of the time. We don’t have air conditioning, just a couple of old fans that creak when they turn. In the mornings, the ladies from the neighborhood come by to get their daily supplies before it gets too hot to be outside. We know which brand of sunflower oil everyone prefers. It’s not a polished place with bright lights; it’s just a comfortable corner where the floor is worn smooth from all the feet walking over it. We stay open until late evening, usually closing up once the street lights have been on for a while. It’s a simple way to make a living, serving the people who live and study around Mylapore. We don't have a website or anything like that, just this physical shop on the street. It works for us and our customers.