Sriram Silks & Super Market

Our shop, Sriram Silks & Super Market, is located at 21659 on Vannara Street in Mangalam Pettai. It’s a bit of an unusual mix having silk sarees and a grocery store in the same building, but it works for the people around here. The street outside is usually full of bikes and people walking to the local market. Inside, it’s a bit of a maze with shelves of rice and pulses on one side and the colorful fabrics on the other. We spend a lot of time sweeping the floor because the dust from the street comes right in the front door. The lighting is a bit dim in the back where we keep the bulk sacks, but we’ve worked here so long we can find anything in the dark. We don’t have a fancy computer system for everything, so we still do a lot of things by hand or with a basic calculator. Sometimes the neighborhood kids come in just to look at the bright silks, and we have to tell them to be careful with their sticky hands. It gets quite loud in the evenings when everyone is finishing work and stopping by to grab dinner supplies or a gift. We just keep the fans running and try to get through the rush. It’s a family-run kind of place, so there’s usually some tea being made in the back. We don’t have big sales or flashy posters. People just know we are here on Vannara Street.