Ambe Maa Novelty

Our shop, Ambe Maa Novelty, sits right near the Balaji Temple and the Gandhi Murti. It is a very peaceful area, especially in the mornings when the temple bells are ringing. We get a lot of people coming in after they finish their prayers. They might need a small gift or some bangles to wear for a family gathering. We keep the shop as tidy as we can, but it is small, so things tend to pile up near the doorway. We have glass counters that show off the jewelry and the little statues we sell. The Gandhi Murti is a big landmark here, so nobody ever gets lost trying to find us. I spend most of my day on a plastic chair behind the counter, chatting with the regulars who stop by. We don't have fancy lights, just some long tubes that make everything look bright enough. Sometimes the children from the nearby houses come in to look at the toys, and I have to tell them to be careful with the glass. It’s a simple business. We buy things from the bigger markets and bring them here for the local folks. We’ve been here long enough that we know which families like which colors of thread or types of bindis. It’s nice being near the temple because the atmosphere is always good. We open around nine and stay until the last evening aarti is over at the temple.