Monginis

Our shop is inside the Roop Puja Co Housing Society in Dharavi, over in Sarvodadaya Nagar 7. It’s a very local spot and we like it that way. We mostly serve the families who live right here in the building or just down the street. The shop is small and we have a lot of glass cases filled with different items we get in. In the afternoons, the kids come by after school to see what we have on the shelves. It gets pretty loud with all the traffic and people talking outside on the main path. We start our day early, taking deliveries and arranging everything so it looks decent for the customers. We don't have a fancy kitchen here, mostly just the retail space and a small area in the back for storage and boxes. The walls could use a fresh coat of paint but we haven't had the time to close down for a day to do it. We know everyone’s name and whose birthday is coming up next week. It’s a very close community and we feel like a part of the daily life here. Sometimes people just stop in to get out of the rain for a few minutes or to wait for a friend. We don't mind at all. We keep the fans going to stay cool during the humid months. It’s a simple life running a shop in Dharavi. We just focus on the daily tasks and making sure we don't run out of things.