Deluxe Emporium

Sankli Street in Byculla is an old and busy part of the city. Our shop, Deluxe Emporium, is located at B-1. It is a small space, but we have managed to fit a lot of goods into it over the years. We have wooden shelves that are probably older than I am. They are packed with all kinds of items for the home. It is a little bit dark inside the shop, but we have lived here so long that we know where everything is kept. We do not use any kind of modern computer system for our sales. We still use an old wooden drawer for the cash and we write every sale down in a paper ledger. The street outside is always very noisy with the sound of motorcycles and people going about their business. We have grown used to the noise by now. We have been in this exact spot for many years and we see the same people every day. It is not a fancy emporium like the ones you see in the big shopping malls. It is just a local shop for the neighborhood. We sell things that people actually need. Sometimes we sit on the small bench outside when there are no customers. We talk to our neighbors about how much Byculla has changed since we were younger. Not everything about the shop is perfect. The ceiling leaks a little bit when the heavy monsoon rains come in July. We just put a bucket under it.