Dayton Tools

You have to find your way through the narrow lanes of Ajmeri Gate to get to us. We are at number 79 in Gali Bandook Wali. It’s a very old part of the city, so it’s always packed with people, handcarts, and scooters squeezing past each other. Dayton Tools is right in the middle of all that chaos. Our shop is small and packed from floor to ceiling with tools and boxes. There isn't much room to move around once you get a few people inside. We know where everything is, though, even if it looks a bit messy to someone from the outside. The walls are lined with shelves that have been there for decades. It gets quite loud with all the street noise coming in, but we’re used to it. Most of our day is spent helping customers who come in looking for specific items they can't find elsewhere. We don't use much fancy technology here, just a simple ledger and some old-fashioned grit. There’s a guy who brings around tea every couple of hours, which is the highlight of the afternoon. It’s a tight-knit community in this lane, and we all look out for each other. Sometimes the deliveries take a while because the trucks can't get into the street, so we have to carry things by hand from the main road. It keeps us on our toes. It’s not a glamorous life, but it’s what we do every day.