We think of convenience stores today as small air-conditioned mini-markets, sometimes open all day and all night, filled with everyday items that are often slightly more expensive than what you would find in a regular market. But go back yesterday, and read how convenience stores – real convenience – was often a hole in the wall.
How did convenience stores of old differ to those of today? Jerome explains:
One of the things you always found around were the convenience stores of old: the hole-in-the-wall shops nestled in the corner of the five-foot way at the side of a building or in some alleyway. Many referred to these shops as “Mama shops”, “Mama” being the Tamil noun for elder or uncle, as the majority of these were run by shopkeepers of Indian origin. You could get most of your cravings for snacks fulfilled, rummaging through the compartments of the wooden racks laid against the wall, or in the plastic bags that lined the walls and racks, or maybe pulling it off a cardboard backing on which it was stapled on. This was where the newspaper and your favourite magazine, the daily supply of cigarettes and other necessities such as medicated oils could be picked up from.
Read about the hole-in-the-wall mama shops here. Mama shops like these aren’t so common these days, but you still find fully-stocked mama shops in your neighbourhoods carrying all sorts of daily goods and sundries – usually with an even bigger range of goods than your typical convenience store too!
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