Mehak Spices

Mehak Spices sits right on Peer Shah Road, just outside Gate Hakima. It is a very old part of the city and the streets are quite narrow and winding. There is always a lot of noise from the rickshaws and people walking by. Our shop is small, but it’s packed from floor to ceiling with all kinds of whole and ground spices. We’ve been here for years, so most of the people who come in are neighbors or shopkeepers from the nearby streets. It gets very hot in the summer, so we keep a small fan running that mostly just moves the warm air around. The smell of the spices is very strong here; you can smell it from down the block. We spend a lot of time weighing out small portions for people who just want enough for a week’s worth of cooking. It’s not the kind of place with air conditioning or bright signs. We just have our wooden counter and the old scales. Sometimes we sit outside on a stool when the shop is quiet and watch the world go by. It’s a simple business. We buy what’s in season and sell it to whoever needs it. There’s no big secret to it, just showing up every day and making sure we treat people fairly and keep the shop running as best we can.