Urmila Varieties Stores

Our shop is tucked away in Ulughat, right by the 58 No Gate in Uluberia. It’s called Urmila Varieties Stores because that’s exactly what we have—a bit of everything. We keep things like rice, pulses, soaps, and even some small items for the house like buckets or ropes. It’s a small shop, so things can get a bit cluttered on the shelves. Sometimes I have to climb a ladder just to find a specific brand of tea for a customer. Living in Howrah, you get used to the crowds and the dust. We’ve been here for many years now, and most of our customers are just neighbors who live in the nearby streets. They come in for a kilo of sugar or maybe some biscuits for their kids. It’s not like those big malls where nobody talks to you. Here, we know who is getting married and whose kids are finishing school. Running a general store means long hours. I open the shutters early in the morning and stay until late at night. Sometimes the electricity goes out and we just sit with a small lamp. It’s hard to keep everything in stock because the space is small, but we manage somehow. My wife helps me keep the accounts in a thick notebook. We don't use computers or fancy machines here. It’s just a regular local shop for regular people.