Kewalram Govindram & Sons

Kewalram Govindram & Sons is right on the Kota Sabji Mandi Road, which stays pretty crowded from five in the morning. Being near the vegetable market means there is always a lot of shouting and the smell of fresh produce in the air. This business has been in our family for a long time. My grandfather used to sit exactly where I sit now, though the chairs have been replaced a couple of times. It’s a narrow shop, but we’ve managed to fit a lot of stuff inside over the years. We open up early because that’s when the market is busiest. People stop by on their way back from buying their daily supplies. It’s not a fancy setup with air conditioning or glass doors. Just a regular counter and lots of shelves going all the way to the ceiling. Sometimes the floor gets a bit muddy when it rains because of all the foot traffic from the mandi. We know most of our customers by their first names or which village they come from. It’s a lot of work keeping track of everything, but we like the routine of the market life. The kids sometimes come after school and help with the smaller items. It’s just how we’ve always done things here. We don't spend much on ads or anything, people just know we are here by the old sign outside that has been there for decades.