Gulam Qadir Sofi

Gulam Qadir Sofi is the name on our shop in Kadalbal Pampore. We are situated in the Pulwama area, near the Srinagar road. This is more of a traditional setup where we sell essential grains, oils, and household goods. My family has been involved in trade here for a long time. The shop itself is quite old and has a very high ceiling which makes it feel bigger than it is. We don't have any modern branding or marketing. Most people just know us as the place to get good quality rice or mustard oil. We spend the day weighing out portions for the village people. The street outside can get quite muddy when it rains, so we have to clean the floor many times. We have a small window at the back that looks out over some trees. In the afternoons, things get slow and I usually sit and read the local paper. We don't use plastic bags much anymore, we ask people to bring their own cloth bags or we use paper. The supply trucks come once a week from the bigger towns. Sometimes they bring new things for us to try selling, like different types of biscuits. We have a small stool for customers to sit on if they are tired. It is a straightforward business with no hidden tricks. We just sell what we have and keep track of the stock in our old notebooks.