Karim Somjee

You can find us at Shop No 1, 398 Koregaon Park. It’s a busy area but our corner stays relatively grounded. The shop is filled with various items that have collected over time. It’s not the kind of place that’s organized by a computer; we just know where things are kept. The wooden floorboards creak a little when you walk towards the back. We spend our days talking to people who come in looking for something specific or just wanting to browse. The air inside smells a bit like old wood and paper. Since we are in Koregaon Park, we get a real mix of people, from students to older residents who have lived here for decades. We usually have a newspaper spread out on the counter in the mornings. It’s a slow-paced kind of business, where we take the time to actually talk to whoever walks in. We don't really do much in the way of marketing or big displays. The windows get a bit streaky when it rains, and we just wipe them down when we get a chance. It’s a simple setup, and that’s how we’ve kept it for years. It’s just a place where you can find things that have a bit of history to them. Sometimes the door sticks in the humidity, but you just have to give it a firm push to get inside.