Punam Enterprises

Punam Enterprises is right in the middle of the Sojat City Main Market. If you know the market, you know it gets incredibly crowded especially on the weekends when everyone from the nearby villages comes in. The shop is tucked between a few other old buildings and we have stuff piled up pretty high near the back. We open up the shutters around nine in the morning and the dust from the street always blows in before we can sweep. It is a lot of handling boxes and talking to customers who are looking for specific items. Some days it is so busy you can barely move inside the store, and other days we just sit on the stools and watch the bikes go past. The market has its own rhythm and we are just one part of it. We don't have any fancy displays or bright lights, just the usual shelves and the counter where we do all the math. My cousin usually comes by around noon with lunch, and we eat in the small space behind the counter. The ceiling fan is old and wobbles a bit, but it helps when the heat gets bad in the afternoon. People in Sojat know us by name mostly, so it’s a lot of small talk about the weather or the local news while we help them find what they need. It’s a long day standing on your feet, but that is just how the market works for everyone here.