Ambika Hardware

Ambika Hardware is located right in the middle of Rani Pratap Bazar. It is one of those old markets where the lanes are narrow and there is always someone shouting. The shop is packed from the floor to the ceiling with boxes of screws, hinges, and plumbing pipes. Half the time we have to climb a rickety ladder just to reach a bucket of paint or a specific type of wrench. It is a bit disorganized but we usually know where everything is kept. The air inside smells like oil and metal. People come in looking for a single nut or a special washer and we spend ages digging through drawers to find it. Rani Pratap Bazar is a hectic place to work because of all the shoppers and the carts pushing through. We don't have much room to move around behind the counter. We’ve been here a long time and the wooden shelves are starting to sag under the weight of all the tools. There is no computer here for the inventory, we just remember what we have in stock. It gets very dusty because the front is open to the street. We deal with local plumbers, carpenters, and people trying to fix things in their own homes. It is a basic hardware store where you get what you need and go home. We usually close up when the sun goes down and we start feeling tired from the long day.