Arif General Store

Up here in Srinagar, specifically in the Noor Bagh area near Cement Kadal, things move a bit differently depending on the season. When the winter hits, the shop gets a bit chilly, so we keep the kettle going for tea. We have been at this spot for quite a while now. The bridge is always busy with people crossing over, and we get a lot of foot traffic from that. Most of our stock is stuff people need for their daily meals—different kinds of tea, spices, and grains. The shop isn't fancy, just some wooden shelves and a glass counter where we keep the smaller items. Sometimes the heavy snow makes it hard for the distributors to reach us, so we have to plan ahead and keep extra sacks in the back room. It’s a quiet life for the most part, except for the sound of the traffic outside. We know which neighbors prefer which brand of soap and who always wants their flour in the smaller bags. It’s those little things that make the day go by. We don't have any big advertisements. People just know we are here. When the sun goes down, we pull the shutters halfway and start counting the registers, getting ready to do it all again the next morning. It’s honest work, and we are happy to be a part of the Noor Bagh community. We just keep things moving and hope for good weather to stick around for the weekend.