Location, location, location – location can break or make business. Panil knew that and he was not about to start a failed business by selecting the wrong location. New Link Road, which was not Link Road, held certain advantages. Cost was one, the store that he rented out here was not as expensive as the one on Link Road. New Link Road was still to come up, that’s why it probably made the first year rent cost an actual steal.
Two, buildings as high as 30 floors were towering the sky there and his shop was one of them. Behind those buildings were steel slums houses that stretched across an expanse. Come next year, they won’t be there. Their land will be barren with more construction of high rise buildings. Panil could see it, the future where all the residents from those buildings would come to his grocery store. There would be a growth spurt in New Link Road, and his grocery store was at the heart of it. The first shop to set up shop.
At the end of every day, Panil was tempted to sleep in the store, but home was much better choice, so he went back to Mira Road. He would be back by 5 o’clock in the morning to make sure he caught the earlier risers, joggers and buyers.
All in all, Panil had the ultimate business plan, it all hinged on the brilliance of a good and developing location.
That’s why Panil’s plan failed.
He lazed in his shop with products on his shelf that have not been replaced for the past two months. Biscuits, chips, chocolates and other groceries all gathered dust on his shelves. Panil could not even afford to hire a shop boy to help him manage the store.
The two buildings that provided over 100 homes together had just a skeleton number of residences. Just like every other day, Panil cursed those slum dwellers. Their protests destroyed his dreams, only if they went away from there quietly and let the high rise world be built. But, that was not the end of his trouble, there was talk of construction violations and that this building may be even broken down along with his shop.
Panil closed his eyes and tried to get some sleep. Just like every other day no one would come to his shop.
