Ismail Haji Suleman

Ismail Haji Suleman is our family-run business located on Tarsali Road in Kurla West. We’ve been in this spot for a long time and the name on the sign is something we take seriously. It’s a traditional kind of place. We don't have any of those modern glass partitions or air conditioning that makes you feel like you’re in a mall. Instead, we have high ceilings and old wooden counters that have been worn smooth by years of use. Our day starts early before the heat of Kurla really sets in. We handle a variety of goods and supplies, catering mostly to the local people who have been coming to us for decades. There’s a certain rhythm to life here on Tarsali Road. We know most of our customers by their first names and we often spend more time chatting than actually selling. It’s a community thing. Our books are kept in large ledgers and we use a simple calculator for the math. Sometimes the shop feels a bit cramped because we keep so much in stock, but we know exactly where everything is located. We don't do any promotional events or big sales. We just open the doors every morning and see who comes by. It’s an honest way to make a living and it keeps us connected to our roots. We are just regular people doing a regular job in a corner of the city we know well.