Welcome to Shopkeeper Stories!

Hi there!

My name is Nazish Zafar. I completed a PhD in Sociology at Johns Hopkins University, focusing on the survival and growth of small businesses. Since 2014, I have been interviewing shopkeepers in cities around the world to share their tips and insights on running a small business. With a grant from the Singapore government, I published a coffee table book featuring local business owners. The Singapore Business Federation gifted this book to their international delegates.

Maybe you run a business, or maybe you don’t. Whatever the case may be, if you have experienced a wondrous sense of awe strolling through a lively market, this blog is for you!

Through this project, I invite you to step with me into these lively market stalls, shops, and offices, meet the business owners, and learn from their collective wisdom of the world.

It is a pleasure to learn about their journeys, and to share their stories with you.

“In the micro-universe of each shop, bubbles a macro-story of the world.”