Subbiah Store

Our shop is right on the Kottampatti Main Road in the Madurai Bazaar area. If you know Madurai, you know how busy the bazaar can get, especially during the festival seasons. We have been here for years, just selling the usual things people need like pulses, spices, and small household goods. It is a very old-fashioned setup with tall wooden cupboards that go all the way to the ceiling. We often have to use a ladder to reach the items on the top shelves. The heat in Madurai can be quite something, so the stone floor of the shop feels good under the feet. We get a lot of people coming in from the villages around Kottampatti because they know they can get their monthly supplies here. It’s not just about selling; we end up talking a lot about the weather or the price of onions. We keep the store open quite late because the bazaar stays alive long after the sun goes down. There is always a layer of dust from the main road, so we are constantly cleaning the glass jars. We don't have any fancy cooling or bright neon lights. It is just a local store where we know the names of half the people who walk in. We just take things one day at a time, making sure the bins are full and the scales are working right.