Khatri Ali Mamad Hasan Store

Our store is on K. T. Shah Road. It’s a name that people in this area have known for a long time. The shop itself isn't very large, but we pack a lot into it. We have shelves that go all the way up, and sometimes we have to use a long stick to get things down from the top. It’s a traditional kind of setup. We don't have computers or scanners; everything is written down in a ledger book with a pen. The wooden counter has been worn smooth over the years by people leaning on it while they talk. We see the same faces every week, mostly folks from the surrounding streets who need something for their homes. K. T. Shah Road can get quite congested, but inside the store, it feels a bit slower. We take our time with each person. My father and his father before him were in this line of work, so it just feels natural to be here behind the counter. We don't do any big advertising or anything like that. People just know we are here. Sometimes a tourist wanders in looking for directions, and we do our best to help them out. It’s a simple life, and the store is our second home. We open up early and don't close until the street starts to get quiet in the evening. Usually, we sit on the stools by the door when there are no customers, just watching the bikes go by and chatting with the neighbor who sells fruit. It is just a steady, quiet way to spend the day for us.