Sri Vasavi General Stores

Up here in Kotta Veedi in the Narsipatnam area, we run this general store. We are based at D No 34-73/3 in Malkapuram, which is a busy part of Visakhapatnam. Most of the people who come here are workers from the nearby industries or families who have lived in these streets for generations. The shop isn't anything fancy to look at, just some shelves and a few refrigerators for milk and curd. We try to keep a good stock of the local rice varieties because that’s what everyone asks for. I usually open the shop early and my wife comes in later to give me a break for lunch. The sea air makes things rust quickly, so we have to keep an eye on the metal shutters and the racks. We have bags of onions and potatoes sitting on the floor near the entrance. Sometimes the kids from the school nearby stop in for some sweets or a pencil. It’s a lot of small transactions all day long. I don’t use any computer for the billing, just a simple calculator and a bill book. On Sundays, it gets really packed when everyone is doing their weekly shopping. We don't have much extra space, so when new stock arrives, it’s a bit of a struggle to find a place for it. It is just a steady business that keeps us going in this part of Vizag. Every day is basically the same and that works for us.