Zia Collections

We've been here on Main Road in Maryadpatti for a while now. Most people know the shop just by walking past it on their way somewhere else. It’s Zia Collections, but to us, it’s just where we spend our days and nights. It gets pretty busy out front with the traffic and the noise, especially in the mornings when everyone is heading to work. We try to keep things organized inside, but sometimes the boxes pile up in the back room and stay there for weeks. We have different things on the shelves, mostly what people around here actually need. Some days are slow and we just sit on the stools and talk to whoever comes in to escape the heat. My uncle started this place and I just sort of took over when he got older. It’s not a big fancy showroom or anything like that. Just a regular spot with a glass front that we have to clean constantly. We open around nine usually, depending on the weather. If it rains hard, the street gets a bit messy and things slow down. Maryadpatti is a tight area, so we know most of the neighbors by name. People come in looking for specific things and we do what we can to find it in the stacks. Sometimes we have to move everything around to find the right size or color. It’s a lot of lifting and folding. The sign outside is a bit faded from the sun, but everyone knows it's us anyway. We've got a small radio playing in the corner most afternoons. It works for us.