Mehboob General Store

Mehboob General Store is located right at the Rahim Nagar Crossing. This part of Lucknow gets very crowded, especially in the evenings when everyone is heading home through Rahim Nagar. I spend most of my day behind the counter, looking out at the street. It’s not a very big space, but we pack it with everything from washing powder to bags of rice. Being near Rahim Nagar Chauraha means there is always someone coming in asking for something. Sometimes it’s just a single cigarette or a packet of chips. The pincode is 226006, in case anyone is looking on a map. I try to keep things organized, but when it gets busy, things just end up wherever there is room. It’s a local spot, nothing like those big supermarkets they have in the malls now. We know most of the people who come in by their first names. If someone is short a few rupees, we usually tell them to just pay next time. It’s how things work around here. The shop has been here for years, and the walls probably need a new coat of paint, but it works for us. My father used to sit here before me. It’s just a regular life in a regular shop. Nothing fancy, just the basics for the neighborhood. It gets hot in the summer, but the ceiling fan keeps us going. Anyway, that’s just how things are here at our little store in the city.