Ramesh General Store

If you know Kanpur, you know how crowded Parade can get. Our shop, Ramesh General Store, is right there on Parade Road, just across from Bhatia Restaurant. It’s a good spot because everyone comes to this area for something or the other. We have been at 95/95 for quite some time, dealing with the heat and the noise of the main road. The shop is filled with everything from washing powder to different kinds of pulses. It’s a bit tight inside when three or four people come in at once, but we manage. You can hear the horns honking outside all day long. Sometimes we just stand at the door to get some air when there are no customers. Most of the people who come here are regulars who live in the back lanes or work in the nearby offices. They don't ask for much, just their usual brands of tea or a quick refill of their kitchen supplies. We don't do any big advertising or anything. People just know we are here because of the sign. The floor is old stone and the wooden counters have seen better days, but they hold up the weight of the heavy jars just fine. Dealing with suppliers is a bit of a headache sometimes when the trucks get stuck in the Parade traffic. But that is just how things go in this part of town. We just keep the door open and wait for the next person.