Mani Nongrum

Mani Nongrum is located in Police Bazar. If you know the area at all, we are quite close to the Central Point Hotel. This part of the Khasi Hills gets quite cold in the winter months. We usually have some warm tea ready to go. The shop is right in the heart of the action. Police Bazar is always crowded with tourists and locals alike. It’s a noisy, vibrant place to be. We’ve been operating here for a long time. The space is simple. We don’t have a lot of modern decorations. It’s mostly just wooden shelves and the stuff we handle. We try to keep it tidy but it’s hard when it’s so busy outside and people are coming in and out. The rain comes down hard in Meghalaya, so we spend a lot of time making sure the roof is okay. People often stop by while they are walking through the market. We are just a small part of this big district. It feels good to be here though. We know the other shopkeepers and the street vendors. Sometimes we sit outside on the step when it's not too wet and watch the world go by. We don't have a big corporate strategy or any of that. We just open up in the morning and see who comes in. It's a practical way to live and work. We have been part of the hills for a long time.