Sarala Stores

Our shop is right there on Vepery High Road in Periamet, which is one of the busiest spots you can find in this part of town. Address 151 is where we keep all our stock. It’s a tight space, honestly, because we try to fit a lot of different goods inside. You’ll find sacks of grain near the entrance and smaller household items tucked away on the higher shelves. The traffic outside is constant—horns honking and people rushing to the station. Sometimes it gets so loud we have to yell a bit just to be heard over the counter. We’ve been here long enough that the walls have seen a lot of history. We don’t use any computer systems to track things; we mostly remember what’s in stock or write it down in a thick ledger book that’s starting to fall apart at the edges. The ceiling fan wobbles a bit when it's on high, but it keeps the air moving during those humid Chennai afternoons. We get a mix of people coming in—some just want a single matchbox, others are buying for the whole month. We treat everyone the same way. It’s hard work being on your feet all day, especially when the heat is heavy, but we like being part of the noise and the crowd on Vepery High Road. It’s just a regular local store trying to stay busy and helpful to the neighborhood.