Krishan Gopal & Sons

Our shop, Krishan Gopal & Sons, is at 6067-A in Gali Batashan, right in the heart of Chawri Bazar. It is a very old part of the city. The streets are narrow and always full of people, rickshaws, and the smell of street food. We have been here for a very long time, passing the business down from father to son. We sell mostly paper and wedding cards. The shelves are filled with different textures and colors of paper. It is quite a mess sometimes when we are busy. We don't have a big air-conditioned showroom. It is just a small room with a lot of stock piled up to the ceiling. You have to be careful not to knock anything over when you walk in. We sit on floor cushions most of the day because that is the old way. My back hurts sometimes from leaning over the samples, but that is just part of the job. We don't have a website where you can see everything. You have to come here, sit down, and look at the physical samples yourself. The electricity goes out sometimes in the summer, and we just use hand fans until it comes back. It is a slow process, choosing the right card, and we don't like to rush people. Most of our neighbors are also in the same trade. It’s a tight community of shopkeepers here.