Vandna General Store

Vandna General Store is a small spot at 86/2 in Safed Colony, Juhi. It is right in the middle of where people live, so it is never really that quiet around here. Most of the day is spent just sitting on the stool behind the counter, watching the street and waiting for someone to need a pack of matches or some milk. The shop is filled with all sorts of things, from plastic buckets hanging from the ceiling to stacks of notebooks and snacks. It is a bit of a squeeze when more than two people are inside at the same time, but nobody seems to mind much. We have to keep the door open to get some air in, which means we are always brushing out leaves or dirt that blows in from the road. Kanpur summers are tough, and the walls of the shop hold the heat long after the sun has gone down. We keep a ledger to write down what people owe, and sometimes we have to remind them twice when they come in. There is nothing very special about how the place looks, it is just a regular shop with blue painted shelves and some old posters. People come in, talk about the price of onions or the weather, and then go on their way. It is just a simple way to spend the day, keeping the shelves stocked and the neighborhood supplied.