Rakesh Brothers

Our shop, Rakesh Brothers, is situated at A/1 on SVP Road in Kandivali. We’ve been here for a long time, so we’ve seen the neighborhood change quite a bit. It used to be much quieter, but now SVP Road is always buzzing with people and cars. We run a fairly simple business, mostly hardware and general supplies that people need for their homes. The shop is small, and every inch of the walls is covered with shelves. We have everything from nails and screws to basic tools. It’s a bit of a squeeze when more than two customers come in at once. My brother handles the stock while I stay behind the counter. We don't use any high-tech systems, just an old ledger to keep track of things. Sometimes we lose the pen and have to hunt for it under a pile of receipts. It’s just how we operate. People from the nearby apartments come to us because they know we’ve been here forever. We don't do any big advertising or anything. Word of mouth has always been enough for us. Sometimes the monsoon rain leaks a little near the front door, so we have to put out a bucket, but we get by. It’s a steady life. We open early because the workers usually need their supplies before they start their day. It’s just us, doing our thing on the corner. We usually share some snacks in the afternoon when it's slow.