Abbasi Novelty Stores

Our little shop, Abbasi Novelty Stores, is located right near the Dena Bank in Surat. Everyone knows the bank, so it makes it easy for people to find us. We have all sorts of small things packed into every corner of the shop. If you look at the ceiling, there are things hanging there too because we ran out of shelf space years ago. It’s a bit of a squeeze when more than three people come in at once. We don't have any air conditioning, just a small table fan that hums all day. Sometimes we lose track of what is in the back of the drawers, but we usually find it if we dig long enough. The street outside is always busy with people going to the bank or catching the bus. We spend a lot of time just watching the world go by from the front counter. We aren't interested in making the place look like a mall. We like the old wooden counters and the way the door creaks when you open it. It has a smell of old paper and plastic, which is just how a novelty store should be. We deal with a lot of coins and small change every day. It’s a simple business, and we’ve been doing it this way for a long time without changing much. We just keep at it and hope for the best.