Vijay Masala Store

Vijay Masala Store sits right on Station Road in Vikhroli East, which means we are right in the middle of the daily commute madness. Laxmi Estate is a busy little patch and our shop is tucked in there among many others. The air inside always smells like ground chilies and turmeric, which makes some people sneeze when they first walk in. We spend a lot of time weighing out powders into small plastic bags and sealing them up. Vijay started this place years ago and not much has changed since then. We still use the same type of old scales and we still talk to every customer about how their family is doing. It’s a very loud area because of the trains and the buses, so we often have to shout a bit to be heard over the counter. We don’t have any fancy marketing plans or a big corporate office. We just have our spices and our regulars who wouldn't go anywhere else. Some days the humidity makes the spice powders clump a little, so we have to be careful about how we store things. It’s hard work on your feet all day, especially during the festival seasons when everyone is cooking big meals, but it’s a good life. We just focus on getting the right mix for the people who live around Vikhroli and making sure we don't run out of the basics. It gets very hot in May but we stay open to keep the kitchens running.