Nirav General Store

Our shop, Nirav General Store, is right in the middle of the bustle at Shop No. 11/2566 in Khand Bazar. Being on Lal Gate Main Road means there is never a quiet moment. Surat is a busy city and this part of it, Lal Gate, is always full of people looking for something or the other. We sell all kinds of general items that people need for their daily lives. The shop is narrow and deep, so it can feel a bit cramped when three or four people are inside at once. We’ve got stacks of containers and boxes everywhere. Sometimes the humidity is so high that everything feels a bit sticky, but that’s just Surat for you. I spend most of my day behind the counter, handing out packets of snacks or bottles of hair oil. We don't have a big staff, just me and my cousin who comes in the afternoon to help with the inventory. The rent in this area is getting high, but we have been here so long it feels like home. We know the other shopkeepers on the street and we often share tea together when things slow down around four o’clock. It’s a simple way to make a living, selling small things to people who are just passing by. We don’t have a website or anything, people just find us because we are right on the main road. It’s just the way things work in the market.