Giftm@Rt

Abdul Rehman Street is a world of its own. If you’ve been there, you know the crush of people and the way every inch of space is used. We are at 178/180. It’s a narrow building like most of them on this street. Giftm@Rt is packed with items. We have boxes stacked high. It’s a bit of a squeeze when we get a delivery. People come in looking for all sorts of things, mostly gifts and small items. We spend the day navigating the shelves and talking to customers who are usually in a hurry. The street noise outside is never-ending—horns, people shouting, handcarts clicking on the pavement. It’s a lot to take in. We don't have a fancy display window. You just come in and see what we have on the shelves. Sometimes we lose track of time because there's no natural light at the back of the shop. We just keep the lights on and the fans spinning. It’s a family-run kind of feeling here. We know the other shopkeepers on the block. We drink tea together in the afternoons when there's a small break in the crowd. It’s not a corporate store. It’s just a shop in the heart of Mumbai’s busiest market. We try to find what people need in all the clutter. It gets sweaty in here when the humidity is high, but we just get on with it. There’s always another box to open.