Shree Ram Juice & General Store

At Shree Ram Juice & General Store, we do things a bit differently by offering fresh juices alongside the usual general store items. We are located near Gole Ka Mandir in Gwalior. The temple brings in a lot of people, especially on Tuesdays and Saturdays, so we stay pretty busy then. People come in for a glass of mousambi or orange juice after they finish their prayers. While they wait, they often realize they need some soap or matches or a packet of biscuits to take home. The shop is a mix of crates of fruit and rows of household goods. It can get a bit cramped when the juice machine is running and there are four or five people waiting for their groceries. Gwalior gets very hot, so the juice part of the business really helps people out during the summer months. I spend a lot of time peeling fruit and then switching over to weighing sugar or lentils. It’s a long day, usually starting before the sun is fully up to get the fresh fruit from the mandi. The floor is often a bit wet from the ice and the fruit washing, but we keep it as clean as we can. We don't have a big staff, just me and a cousin who helps with the grinding and serving. It’s an honest way to make a living and the temple location keeps us grounded. We like the morning air when the temple bells ring.