Deepak Bartan Store

Deepak Bartan Store is tucked away in Shahdara Chhota Bazar at number 60. If you’ve ever been to Chhota Bazar, you know how narrow the lanes are and how many people are always walking around. Our shop is filled from floor to ceiling with all kinds of utensils. We have steel plates, brass items for prayers, and big pots for cooking. It’s a bit of a squeeze inside because we try to keep a lot of variety for the local families. People come here when they are setting up a new kitchen or when there is a wedding and they need to give gifts. We don't have any fancy displays, just stacks of metal that we move around when someone asks for something at the bottom. The sound of metal clinking is something you get used to after a few days. It gets really loud during festival seasons like Diwali. My father started this and now I handle things mostly. We know most of the regular customers by face. We don't use any big words to describe what we do. It’s just a bartan shop. We open the shutters in the morning, sweep the floor, and wait for the first customer. Sometimes we sit outside on a stool when it's quiet. It’s a traditional way of doing business that hasn't changed much in this part of Shahdara.