Samridhi Paints

Samridhi Paints is over at Plot No-16 in Sitabaug Colony. We are tucked right behind the Regal Cinema in the Dhenu Market area. Being so close to the cinema means there’s always a lot of people and noise around us. Our shop is pretty small and it’s filled from floor to ceiling with paint cans of all sizes. The air inside always has that sharp smell of thinners and fresh paint. You eventually stop noticing it after working here for a few months. I opened this place after spending years working as a helper for a local painting contractor. Now I’m on the other side of the counter. People come in with all sorts of ideas for their homes. They bring in little pieces of paper or old pictures to show me the colors they want. I spend a lot of time at the mixing machine in the corner. It’s an old machine and it shakes the whole floor when it’s running. The lighting inside isn't very good for seeing the real colors, so we usually take the cans out onto the sidewalk to look at them in the natural light. It’s a bit of a messy job. There are paint splatters on my shoes and the floor. I have one young man who helps me with moving the heavy crates. We stay open a bit later than the other shops because that’s when people realize they’ve run out of paint.