Arvind Ji General Store

Arvind Ji General Store is right in the middle of Mahipal Pur Nathu Pur Village. It’s the kind of place where the floor is always a bit uneven and the shelves are packed right up to the ceiling with everything from soap to big bags of lentils. We open early in the morning because that is when the village starts moving. You can hear the cows and the bikes passing by while we are stacking the fresh bread and milk that just arrived. It is a busy little spot and there is usually a cat or two hanging around the entrance waiting for a scrap. We know most of our customers by their names because they have been coming here since they were kids. The shop doesn't have a modern look. It has old wooden counters and the paint is peeling a little bit near the door. But it works for us. In Nathu Pur Village, people just want to get their daily supplies and have a quick chat before they go home to cook. We keep the accounts in a thick notebook and sometimes we have to search for a bit to find a specific spice someone asked for. It gets hot in the summer but the stone walls keep it a little cooler inside. Being here in Mahipal Pur feels right, and we just keep the store running as best as we can every single day.