Radha Variety Store

Up in the 700127 area of Kolkata, specifically on the busy Station Road, you will find Radha Variety Store. We call it a variety store because we really do try to cram a bit of everything into this space. It’s a typical Kolkata shop where space is at a premium. We have items hanging from the ceiling and stacked in every corner. From stationery for the school kids to small hardware bits and household plastics, we try to keep it all. The humidity here can be tough on some of the packaging, so we have to keep an eye on things. It’s a loud neighborhood with the trains nearby and the constant honking of taxis. We've got a small stool behind the counter where whoever is on duty sits. Most of our customers are people we've known for ten or twenty years. They don't even have to ask for their usual brand of tea; we just reach for it when we see them coming. The floor is old tile and it’s got some cracks, but it holds up. We don't use any fancy software to track what we sell. We just look at the shelves and see what’s getting low. It’s a bit messy sometimes, especially when we get a new shipment of plastic buckets or brooms, but we manage to find a place for everything eventually. It’s just our little corner of Kolkata.