Royal General Store

If you walk past the bus stand near Mira Road, you will see the Surya Heights Building. We are right there at Shop Number 5. Royal General Store is the kind of place where things are stacked from the floor all the way up to the ceiling. We sell everything from soap to notebooks and small toys. Because we are so close to the bus stand, we get a lot of people who are just passing through and need a bottle of water or some biscuits for their journey. It can get very chaotic when a bus arrives and ten people want something all at once. The counter is usually covered with jars of candy and small packets of chips. We have a small television in the corner that we keep on for the news. The space is tight, and we often have to move boxes around just to get to the back. It’s not a polished retail experience. The fan on the ceiling squeaks a bit when it's on high speed. We don't have a mission statement or anything like that. We just want to make sure we have the items people are looking for when they pop in. My hands are usually a bit dirty from handling change and moving crates. We start early in the morning before the first bus leaves and we don't head home until late at night. It is just a regular way to make a living in Mira Road.