Jagdish Prasad Kabra & Company

Maliwara is one of those places in Delhi where you can easily get lost if you don't know your way. We are at 1409, right on the edge of Nai Sarak. If you come by rickshaw, you have to get off a bit early because the lane gets too narrow for them to turn around. The shop has been in the Kabra family for a long time. It’s a tall, thin building and we use the upper floors for storage. The stairs are wooden and they creak every time someone goes up to get a fresh roll of cloth or a box of supplies. It's always a bit dusty because of all the paper and fabric we handle. In the winter, it gets quite chilly, so we keep a small heater under the main desk. We spend most of our day talking to wholesalers and people looking for specific items they can't find in the bigger malls. We don't have a website or any of that. If you need us, you just come to the lane and ask for the Kabra shop; everyone knows where it is. We have a small bench outside where the older men sit and talk about the news while they wait for their orders to be packed. It’s a simple way of living. We start early and close up when the sun goes down and the market starts to quiet out. It’s how it’s been for thirty years.