Joy Novelty

People often walk right past Shop No. 17 if they aren't looking for us. We sit on the ground floor of the Super Shopping Complex on A.R. Street. It's a busy spot, especially in the afternoons when the sun hits the sidewalk and everyone is looking for some shade. We started Joy Novelty a while back because there was a need for stuff that isn't just basic groceries. We have shelves full of items that don't always have a specific category. Sometimes it's toys, sometimes it's little gadgets for the house. We open up early and the first thing we do is dust the glass counters. Dust gets everywhere here. The street noise is constant, but you get used to it after a week. My cousin helps out when things get busy during the holidays. We don't have a fancy system. Just a logbook and some pens that always seem to run out of ink. Sometimes customers stay and talk for twenty minutes about the weather or the traffic on A.R. Street. We like that. It makes the day go by faster. Dealing with suppliers can be a headache when the delivery trucks get stuck in the narrow lanes outside the complex. We just make do with what we have. It’s not a big operation, just us in this small space trying to keep things moving.