Narendra General Store

Being in Shastri Market means there is never really a quiet moment for Narendra General Store. We are tucked in among all the other shops, and it’s been that way for many years. I wake up early thinking about what needs to be ordered for the shelves. People come here for all sorts of small things, maybe a pack of pins or some soap or even school notebooks for their kids. It’s a bit of a mix of everything really. The space is tight, and I’ve had to learn exactly where every single item is kept so I don’t spend all day searching while a customer waits. Shastri Market gets really packed on the weekends, and that’s when the heat really gets to you. I usually have a small fan behind the counter that doesn't do much but it helps a little. My father started this business and I just kept it going because it’s what I know. We don’t have fancy displays or anything like that. It’s just wooden shelves reaching up to the ceiling and boxes stacked wherever they fit on the floor. I talk to the other shopkeepers nearby when things are slow. We talk about the price of goods or how the market is doing lately. It’s a simple life, just opening the shop, serving the neighbors, and closing up when it gets dark. Nothing too complicated about it, just a local general store in the middle of a busy market. I spend a lot of time dusting off the plastic containers.