Mandeep Arts & Crafts

Our little shop, Mandeep Arts & Crafts, is tucked away on Irla Gavthan Road, right near Palace Road. It’s not the easiest place to keep tidy because there are always bits of string, paper scraps, and paint jars everywhere. Most days start with us sweeping the front step and waiting for the morning tea delivery from the stall around the corner. We aren't a big operation by any means. It’s just us surrounded by shelves that are probably a bit too tall for the room. People from around the neighborhood wander in looking for random things like specific glitter or a certain type of glue for their kids' school work. We spend a lot of time just looking through boxes to find that one specific item someone asked for. The road outside is always busy with people walking to the market, so there’s a constant hum of noise coming through the door. Sometimes the fans overhead make a clicking sound that we’ve just gotten used to over the years. We handle a lot of small stuff, and the inventory gets messy fast, but we know where everything is. It’s a practical place where we just get on with the day’s work. There’s no fancy lighting or air conditioning here, just the usual street air and the smell of craft supplies. We like the pace of things in this part of town, even when the monsoon makes the street a bit of a swamp. It gets muddy, but the regulars still stop by to chat.