Archana General Store

Archana General Store is located at 1-24.2 in Himayat Nagar. We are right near Aruna Photo Studio, which is a good landmark if you’re looking for us in Hyderabad. The street is usually lined with parked scooters, making it a bit tight to walk through. Our shop has a high ceiling, but we’ve filled every inch with goods. We have those hanging packets of shampoo and chips that sway whenever someone walks in fast. The floor is that grey stone you see in a lot of older Hyderabad houses. I spend a lot of my time reorganizing the shelves because things always seem to get hidden behind the big bags of rice. We get a mix of office workers and residents from the nearby apartments. Some people come in just for a cold bottle of water because the Hyderabad heat gets quite intense. We have a small stool behind the counter, but I rarely get to sit on it for long. The light inside is a bit dim towards the back, so I have to use a torch sometimes to find the specific spices people ask for. It’s a busy little corner of Himayat Nagar. We don't have any big signs or bright lights, just the name of the store and a door that’s always open. It’s a lot of work keeping track of everything, but we’ve gotten used to the rhythm of the neighborhood over the years.