Alok General Store

Alok General Store is right there in Samneghat in Varanasi. We are near the Goal Bar which everyone knows around here. It is a busy little corner of Balaji Nagar. I start the day by cleaning the front step. People in Varanasi wake up early and they want their milk and bread right away. I try to keep everything in its place but it gets messy when I am busy. The shelves are packed tight with all sorts of things from notebooks to snacks. I know most of the faces that walk through the door. Some families have been coming here since I started. We don't have any fancy displays or bright lights. It is just a regular store where you can find what you need for the kitchen or the kids. Sometimes the supply truck gets stuck in traffic near the river and I have to wait around. That throws off my whole afternoon. I like the winter months better because the shop stays cool. In the summer the heat comes off the road and makes it hard to stay inside all day. I mostly just focus on keeping the stock full. If someone asks for something we don't have I try to get it the next time I go to the market. It is a simple life running a shop in Samneghat. You see a lot of things happening on the street from this counter.