Vijay Stores

Vijay Stores has been at number 46 in Sadar Chowk for a long time. Being in the Sadar Dal Mandi area means it is always smells like grain and dust around here. It is a very traditional part of Meerut. We open early because the market starts moving before the sun is even fully up. Our shop is small, but we pack it full. You have to watch your step because things are piled up. We don’t really have a system that a computer would understand, but we know where everything is kept. If someone asks for something from three years ago, we can probably find it under a pile of sacks. It's just me and a couple of helpers usually. We drink a lot of tea while we wait for the next delivery truck to block the narrow street. That happens a lot in the Dal Mandi. You get used to the noise of the carts and the shouting of the drivers. We’ve been here in the 250001 area since I was a kid. The walls have some cracks and the floor is worn down from people walking on it, but it’s sturdy. We don't do any big advertising. People just know Vijay Stores is at 46 Sadar Chowk. It’s a honest way to spend the day. We stay until the market starts to quiet down in the evening, then we lock up and do it again tomorrow. It is hard work, but it is what our family has always done in this part of town.