Arife Glassware Mart

You can find us right in the thick of things at Shop No. 556 in Crawford Market. We’re right opposite the Sadanand Hotel, which is a good landmark because the market can be a total mess if you don’t know where you’re going. At Arife Glassware Mart, we live around boxes and bubble wrap. There’s glass everywhere—plates, bowls, jars, you name it. It’s a tight squeeze in the shop, and we have to be really careful how we move around so we don’t break anything. The noise from the market outside is constant, with vendors shouting and people haggling over prices. We’ve been here long enough that we don’t even notice the chaos anymore. People come to us when they need something specific for their kitchen or their restaurant, and we usually have to dig through a few stacks to find the right item. It’s a bit dusty, and the shelves are crammed to the ceiling. We don’t have a fancy website or a PR person. We just have a lot of glassware and a lot of experience packing it so it doesn't shatter on the way home. Some days are incredibly busy with customers elbowing each other, and other days we just sit and reorganize the inventory. It’s just life in the market, and we wouldn't know what to do with ourselves if it were quiet. That is just how the mart works.