Raj Ratan Sarees

If you go down M.G. Road, you’ll find us at 201B. Raj Ratan Sarees has been sitting on this stretch of Mgroad for a long time, and we’ve seen the street change quite a bit over the years. The shop isn't huge, but we pack a lot into it. We have these tall glass cabinets where we keep the more delicate sarees, and then there are the wooden counters where we spread things out for people to see. The air conditioner works most of the time, but when the door keeps opening and closing, it’s hard to stay cool. We spend a lot of our day just folding and refolding fabric. If you leave a saree out for too long, it gets wrinkled, so we’re always keeping our hands busy with that. The floor is tiled and we try to keep it swept, but people bring in a lot of dust from the main road. We don’t really do any big ads or anything like that. Most people just know we’re here because they walk past us on their way to other shops. It’s a lot of standing around and waiting, mixed with bursts of being really busy when a group comes in. We have a small back room where we keep the extra stock and a kettle for tea. It’s a bit cramped back there, but it’s a good spot to take a five-minute break. It’s just a regular shop on a busy street.