Zam Zam Mithaiwala

At Zam Zam Mithaiwala, we are located right near Mumbai Central. Our shop is numbers 11 and 12 in the Bait Ul Aman building. It’s a very busy section of the city. Since we handle sweets, the shop usually has a sweet smell of sugar and ghee hanging in the air. We spend a lot of time at the large counters, arranging the different trays of mithai. The tiles on the walls are white and we try to keep them wiped down, though the steam from the back sometimes makes things damp. There are big glass displays that we have to clean every morning to get rid of the fingerprints. Mumbai Central is always full of travelers and commuters, so there is a constant stream of people walking past our doors. We hear the announcements from the station if the wind is blowing the right way. Inside Bait Ul Aman, it’s a bit of a community. We know the other shop owners and we often chat while we’re setting things up for the day. It’s a lot of standing on our feet and moving heavy trays around. We have some stools in the back where we sit for a few minutes when it gets quiet, but that doesn't happen often. We just focus on keeping the trays full and making sure the shop looks decent for whoever walks in. It is a long day from when we open the shutters in the morning until we lock up the glass cases at night. We just head out and catch the train home.