7 Surprises

7 Surprises is tucked away in the middle of the Coimbatore Bazaar. If you’ve ever been to the bazaar, you know how crowded and loud it gets, especially when the sun starts to go down. Our shop isn’t very large, so we have to be clever about how we stack the shelves to fit everything in. We sell a variety of small items and gifts, and things often get moved around when people are browsing. I took over the running of the place from my uncle a few years ago. It’s a bit of a squeeze when more than a few customers come in at the same time, but we make it work. We get new stock from different suppliers all over the city, so there is usually something different appearing on the shelves every week. We chose the name because people often walk in looking for one thing and end up finding something else they didn't expect to see. The lighting inside is quite bright because the back of the shop gets very dark otherwise. We don’t use a computer for the sales; I just write everything down in a big ledger book at the end of the night. It is a good way to stay connected to the city and meet all the different people who walk through the market. It’s a busy life, but it keeps us on our feet and the days go by quickly.