Sree Lotus General & Store

We have been here on School Street for quite a while now. It’s a busy little spot, mostly because the school is right nearby. You see kids running in for small things like pens or snacks before their classes start. The shop is fairly small, but I do my best to keep the items people usually need on the shelves. Manali can get very hot during the day, so the ceiling fan is always running. We open up early in the morning, well before the students arrive. Sometimes it gets a bit messy behind the counter with all the new stock arriving from the distributors. We handle groceries and general household stuff. It is mostly the same faces we see every day. I know which brand of tea Mrs. Rao likes or which soap the neighbor's kids want. Sometimes we run out of specific things if the delivery truck is late, but that is just how it goes with a small place. If someone needs a particular spice or a certain type of notebook, we go check the back room. My family helps out when things get busy. It is not a big, fancy place, just a regular corner store for the community. We have seen the neighborhood change quite a bit over the years. Some days are slow, while others are a bit frantic when everyone comes at once after work. We just keep the shelves filled and the door open for everyone.