“I want to serve you until my last moment.”

“Friend told him she was doing an interview for a book. She lied.“ (youtube.com)

From the video, and comments:

“Manu, I can’t do anything right today.” “Its okay. You tell me and I’ll do it.”

“That’s a good marriage right there.”

To help with visibility, there is a donation campaign for him with a $5K goal. https://fundly.com/everyone-loves-avi#.

This is the happiest thing I’ve ever seen, this made my day!

“Spreading the word! Lets save this store!”

“There’s a man who knew what he wanted out of life and got it.

We tend to make things too complicated these days. Our idea of what life is supposed to be like isn’t what it used to be. We forget that our ancestors were mostly like Avi… people just looking for a place to call their own where they could live in peace. Most American kids today would recoil at the idea of working 12-hour days in a convenience store for a week, let alone the rest of their lives. Yet most of them will never be nearly as happy or fulfilled as this guy.

There’s nothing wrong with dreaming big. There’s nothing wrong with being rich or wanting to be rich. But you can’t forget that all the money, nice shit, and “status” in the world won’t make you happy. It won’t.”

“Holy shit! This place is right next to my house haha. I usually just go to 711 or the CVS down the street but I think I’m gonna start going there now. Thanks for sharing.”

 

Conscious Consumerism can save our communities! Relephant bonus:

Natural Hierarchy: the 3 Requirements of the Ideal Job.

Cash Mob For Avi. This reminds me of carrot mobs—money can be love, appreciation, and help keep community together.

For the past 10 years, Avi Gandhi has owned and solely operated Center Lane Stationery in the iconic suburb of Levittown, New York. Seven days a week, from dawn to dusk, Avi is in complete service to its residents. Not once in the entire decade has he taken a sick day.

But Avi’s more than a guy who punches numbers into the cash register. He’ll gladly take lotto numbers over the phone, freely give away candy to kids, send cigarettes to the houses of homebound seniors, and let customers pay him back if they’re hard up.

But more important than the material support, Avi’s position behind the counter often goes beyond cashier to good friend—and even, sometimes, to therapist. He knows the name of every single person who walks in his store and not only that, who their family is and what they’re up to. He makes people feel like they matter. And that there is hope.

But hope is in short supply in Avi’s corner these days. Like many other small businesses on Long Island, the state of New York, and across the greater U.S., Center Lane Stationery is suffering. People buy lotto tickets, but little else. Avi’s shelves have become dusty, his legs weary. Tired of the long days and wanting to spend more time with his wife Bharati, who recently survived cancer, he might be forced to shut down the store come January.

“This town is my everything. It’s my everything. Believe me. I love it very much,” he has been known to say again and again.

The majority of the funds from this campaign will be for Avi and Bharati to help support Center Lane Stationery, whether it’s restocking inventory, hiring someone a couple days a week to give Avi a break, or if he’s forced to close, starting a mini-retirement fund.

On June 21 a cash mob  – where 100 people packed his store to buy his inventory – showed just how well-loved Avi is in the Levittown community. A small portion of this money will also help offset some of the event costs such as videographers, catering, and materials.

Avi has given Levittown so much. Let’s give him something back.