Ma Ashapura

Our shop is number 13 in Shree Ganesh Plaza over in Sector 09. Khanda Colony is a pretty busy part of Panvel these days. Ma Ashapura is just a small place where we sell what people need. We open up around ten in the morning and usually stay until late evening. The plaza gets a lot of foot traffic, especially on weekends when families are out. We have shelves all the way to the ceiling and sometimes I have to use the old wooden ladder to reach the stuff at the top. It’s not a fancy supermarket style place. We know most of the people who walk in by their first names. They come in for their regular shopping and we chat about the weather or the local news. The floor is tiled but some of them are cracked from moving heavy crates around. We keep a small fan behind the counter to stay cool during the humid Panvel afternoons. Sometimes the delivery guys bring the wrong items and we have to sort it out right there on the sidewalk. It’s a bit of a mess sometimes but we get it done. My brother helps with the accounts and the stock every evening. We don’t have a website or any online ordering, we just like seeing people face to face. It’s a simple business and we’ve been in this plaza for a few years now. Most of our day is spent unpacking boxes and putting things on display.