Rankawat Kirana Stroe

Rankawat Kirana Stroe is another one of those shops in the Housing Board area that stays busy because of the people living nearby. I spend my days surrounded by towers of biscuit boxes and sacks of rice. The name on the board outside might have a small spelling mistake, but everyone knows where we are. It’s a practical place. I don't spend much time on decorations; I'm usually too busy weighing out kilograms of sugar or checking the expiry dates on the milk packets. The floor is made of old stone and it’s seen a lot of foot traffic over the years. I have a small desk near the entrance where I keep my accounts and a heavy metal cash box. Every afternoon, things get a bit quiet, and that’s when I try to restock the shelves or sweep out the dust that blows in from the street. Housing Board can be a bit windy, so I’m always cleaning the glass jars. I sell a bit of everything, from washing powder to loose tea. If a neighbor needs a specific brand of cooking oil, I try to get it for them next time the supplier comes around. It’s just me and the goods, day in and day out. I’ve learned to tell how much a bag weighs just by looking at it. People come here because it’s convenient and they know they can find the basic things they need for their kitchen.