Varanasi General Store

Varanasi General Store is right there in Pakki Bazar on Kachari Road. It is a spot near the Police Line Tiraha where people stop by when they are heading into Orderly Bazar. The shop is full of boxes and bags. We spend most of our mornings just moving things around to make space for the new stock coming in. It gets dusty because of the road, so there is a lot of cleaning to do every few hours. People come in for all sorts of things, maybe a pack of biscuits or some washing powder. We know most of the faces around here because they have been walking this street for years. Sometimes the traffic outside gets really loud, especially near the Tiraha, but inside it stays busy with local talk. The shelves are packed tight, and sometimes things are a bit hard to find if you don't know where to look. It’s not a big fancy place, just a regular corner store for the neighborhood. We don’t have any fancy displays. The floor is old stone and the lights flicker a bit when the power acts up. Most days start at seven and don’t really slow down until late evening. It is just the way things are in this part of Varanasi. We try to keep enough of the basic stuff so nobody has to go too far. It is a simple life running a shop here.