Do you know what a ‘fancy store’ is? No, it’s not a store that sells luxury items. It doesn’t look fancy either. In fact, it’s the exact opposite; it is usually a quaint small retail store tucked away in the street corners. You need to physically visit the location to be able to spot it a second time. I was introduced to one when I was a kid, and there was a fancy store near the bus stop.Such stores are always at a walkable distance. The name ‘fancy store’ fascinated me even as a kid; now that I am an old hag, I am trying to ensure the concept is not forgotten.

It’s a bit more than a stationery shop and has stuff less than a general store. This is the basic segregation of shops.

Now, imagine a store where you get shampoo sachets and basic toiletries but not vegetables. This same shop also has notebooks, pens but not a photocopy/printing machine. They have basic embroidery stuff, painting essentials, hair accessories but might not have fabrics.

I tried to draw a Venn diagram to explain it better but realised it doesn’t work like that. There is absolutely nothing common that Grocery shops and Embroidery stores would sell but fancy store sells so many things from Grocery and Embroidery stores.

They have house decor and small gifting items also. These are the shops you would run to for last-minute unplanned emergencies. Oh, you forgot chart paper sure run to the fancy store. Oh you are traveling tomorrow and you forgot small toiletries, fancy store. It’s great.

Only when I stepped out of Chennai did I realize fancy stores, although they exist, are not called ‘fancy stores.’ Or am I wrong? Have you had come across fancy stores?