Sri Sai Balaji General Stores

Sri Sai Balaji General Stores is out on Addanki Road in Darsi, with the address 8-670-582. That long number is just what’s on the paperwork; to everyone else, we’re just the shop on the main road. Darsi is a place where it can get very hot and dusty, and our store is no exception to that. We spend a lot of time wiping down the glass jars and the counter because the wind blows the grit in from the road. The store is filled with all the usual general items, from soap to grains. We don't have any air conditioning, so we rely on a couple of old ceiling fans that click as they spin. It’s a family-run kind of place, and you’ll usually find one of us sitting near the entrance waiting for the next customer. We know the routines of the people who live nearby—who comes in for their morning supplies and who stops by late after work. The traffic on Addanki Road is heavy with trucks sometimes, and it makes the whole building shake just a little. We’ve got a small storeroom in the back that’s always a bit of a mess, but we know where everything is. Running a general store isn't glamorous, and we don't pretend it is. We just keep the doors open and try to be helpful to anyone who walks in from the heat of the road.