Ajay Art Emporium

Our shop is right on Umaid Bhawan Palace Road, inside the handicraft market area. It’s a place where we’ve been for years, surrounded by other folks selling all sorts of things. We focus on the art side of things, mostly items that have been made by hand. The shop is usually pretty full, with things hanging from the walls and stacked in the corners. It’s a bit of a squeeze sometimes when a group of people comes in at once. We don’t have a polished showroom with bright lights. It’s more of a traditional setup where you might have to move a few things to see what’s underneath. We get a mix of locals and people just passing through. The dust is a constant battle because of the open doors, but that’s just part of being in the market. We spend our time talking to suppliers and trying to find interesting pieces to bring in. It’s not a corporate chain, just a small business trying to keep going. Sometimes the heat on Umaid Bhawan Palace Road gets to be a bit much, but the stone walls of the market keep things a little cooler. We have a few old fans that have seen better days. The handicraft market is a loud place with lots of shouting and bargaining, which can be exhausting. But when we get into our own shop, it feels a bit more under control. We don't use a computer for everything; a lot of our notes are still on paper.