Manish General Store

Being in Pratap Nagar means we see a lot of families every day. Manish General Store is basically where people come when they realize they ran out of milk or need a packet of biscuits for tea. I’ve lived in this neighborhood my whole life, so I know most of the people who walk through the door by their first name. The store is filled with stacks of rice bags and rows of pulses. We try to keep everything stocked up, but sometimes the delivery truck is late and we have to tell people to come back tomorrow. It’s a lot of lifting and moving boxes around, which keeps me tired by the end of the day. The kids from the school nearby usually swarm in around 3 PM for candies and chips. It gets pretty loud for twenty minutes then goes quiet again. We have a small fridge for cold drinks that hums loudly in the corner and sometimes vibrates the floor. Sometimes the cats from the alley try to sneak in, so we have to keep an eye on the door. It’s a basic shop, nothing like those big supermarkets you see in the city malls. We use an old scale for weighing out the flour and sugar. The walls could use a fresh coat of paint, but we haven't found the time or the money to do it yet. Pratap Nagar is a good place to be, and running this store feels like just being part of the furniture here. We keep a light on outside in the evening so people know we’re still open for those last minute items.