M Lalwani & Co

Our shop is at 883 Budhwar Peth, right near the Gujarat Lodge. If you know Pune, you know how busy this area gets. The lanes are narrow and there are people everywhere, especially during the festive seasons. M Lalwani & Co has been in this spot for quite a while. The building is one of those older structures where the stairs are a bit steep and the ceilings are high. We have shelves reaching all the way up, packed with whatever stock we are carrying at the time. Finding something specific often requires a ladder and a bit of patience. It’s a bit dark inside because the buildings are so close together, so we keep the tube lights on all day. The street noise is part of the experience, with vendors shouting and scooters zipping past the front door. We mostly deal with traders and regular customers who have been coming to us for years. It’s a very traditional way of doing business, often involving a lot of sitting on the floor or on small stools while discussing prices. We drink a lot of tea throughout the day, usually ordered from the guy on the corner. There’s no fancy marketing or big displays here. We just know our inventory and we know our customers. It’s a bit of a squeeze sometimes, but we are used to the chaos of the Peth. That is just how it is here.