Manminder’s business has been around since 1962. — Photos: RAJA FAISAL HISHAN/The Star
IF YOU are in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur, head for Jalan Scott and look out for Merdeka Trading Corporation.
Established in 1962, the dry goods store is owned by Manminder Singh, an elderly bespectacled Sikh gentleman with grey beard and moustache.
He’s always impeccably dressed, with long-sleeved shirt and pressed trousers, complete with turban.
The shop has not changed much since the start of business six decades ago.
Commercially packed spices are given a personal touch.
Photos of Manminder’s ancestors are displayed on the wall.
The shopkeeper still does his bookkeeping manually and utilises two old landline phones.
Typical Indian household staples like gram flour, atta (wholemeal) flour and basmati rice can also be found at the store, in addition to fenugreek leaves, amla oil and mustard seed oil.
Tins of various brands of ghee, some with exotic names, are stacked up high on the shelves.
Manminder (left) makes time to explain the qualities of his products to customers.
Lining the shop are rows of blue and red plastic containers which hold the dry goods like atta flour.
Among the items sold here are Punjabi garam masala and mixed pickles imported from India, all neatly arranged on racks.
Manminder makes the effort to let customers know that the spice blend and pickles are artisanally made by a Punjabi family in New Delhi.
Here, items are largely still labelled with handwritten descriptions on white paper and their prices listed on a giant signboard.
The dry goods store is a humble shop on Jalan Scott, off Jalan Tun Sambanthan.
This effort gives the shop a very personalised feel, as if the items have been handpicked by Manminder, who describes their origins in detail, highlighting their special qualities – it’s a far cry from shopping in commercial grocery stores where shoppers hardly appreciate an ingredient’s provenance.
