C. L. Shah & Company

We started at Canning Street a long time ago. It's crowded here. 137 is the door number. We deal with metal things mostly. The morning starts with tea. Then we open the shutters. It’s a bit dusty but that’s how this part of town is. We don't have fancy air conditioning. Most people know us by name. It’s just us and a few helpers. We sort through items and wait for the delivery trucks. Sometimes the traffic is so bad they arrive late. That’s just life on this road. We have shelves reaching the ceiling. Finding things takes a minute but we know where it all is. We handle orders as they come. No big promises, just getting the work finished. The desks are old wood. If you come by, you’ll see we are usually busy with lists and pens. It’s a simple setup. We don’t spend on ads. People find us because we’ve been here. The walls could use a paint job but the roof is solid. We keep the ledger books updated. It’s not a high-tech place. Just a regular business where we sell what’s in stock. We talk to the neighbors about the weather and the prices going up. It’s the same every day and that suits us fine.