Shiv General Store

Our small shop is located at Mahalaxmi Tiraha in the Jankipuram area of Lucknow. It has been sitting here on this corner for quite a while now. Every day follows a similar pattern where we open up early to catch the morning crowd. People stop by for basic things like washing powder, matches, or a packet of biscuits on their way to work. Lucknow can get really dusty, so a lot of our time goes into just wiping down the counters and the glass jars. We don't have a huge staff or anything, just a few of us making sure the shelves aren't empty. The location near the Tiraha means there is always some noise from the traffic outside. Sometimes it gets busy and other times we just sit and wait for the next person to walk in. We don't really do much advertising or anything like that. People know we are here because they live in the neighborhood. We keep a variety of pulses and grains in big sacks towards the back. It’s a simple setup with no fancy lights or big displays. We just try to keep the stuff people use every day in stock. When the rainy season comes, the floor gets a bit muddy from people’s shoes, but we just mop it up. It is just a regular life running a store in this part of town. We see the same faces every week and that is enough for us.