Banumathi Shop

Banumathi Shop is located at 56, Tiruppattur Road. Being on the main road means we see a lot of people who are just passing through town. It’s not a huge place, just a simple structure that serves the purpose. We keep a variety of things on hand, mostly items that people might need in a hurry while they’re traveling or heading home. The shelves are mostly metal and they hold everything from biscuits to basic medicines and plastic goods. The dust from the Tiruppattur Road is a constant battle, so we spend a lot of time with a cloth in hand, wiping down the jars and packets. It’s a one-room operation, so everything is within arm’s reach if you’re standing behind the wooden counter. We don’t have a big team of people, just a couple of us who take turns minding the door. The days can be long, especially when the sun is beating down on the road outside. We usually have a bench out front where a few locals sit and chat for a bit. It’s a very informal atmosphere. We don’t use any complicated systems to run the place. We just know what we have and what we need to get more of. It’s an honest way to make a living, and we’ve been doing it at this same spot for quite some time now without much changing.