She’s sweet, friendly and modest. She sells imported goods like cold, soft mozzarella balls, ripe and creamy avocados and fresh basil. Avocado Lady is like your fairy godmother. She makes culinary dreams come true.

04:30 Wake up early, just as I have been doing for the last 20 years since I opened my store in 1990. I’m a bit tired, but eat a quick baozi for breakfast and head out the door.

05:30 Same routine every morning: I meet with my long-time friend and partner at the store and we open the front door. We start business very early in the morning so that local Chinese customers and foreigners alike can stop by to get what they need before heading off to work.

07:00 My partner’s husband delivers a shipment to the store full of arugula, parsley, basil and, of course, avocados. We take it into our store for sorting. Most of the herbs go into the fridge so that they can stay cold while the avocados are put out in a box next to the limes so they can ripen.

09:00 Customers come in on their way to work and school, picking up fruits, vegetables and cheese, plus a bottle of barbecue sauce here, a container of salt or pepper there.

09:30 A familiar face stops by and we chat for a bit. He is a young American who comes by my store often for groceries. Between the little English I learned in high school and his elementary Chinese, we exchange pleasantries and small talk as he buys some tomato sauce, pasta and fresh mozzarella. I charge him RMB25 and throw in a little basil for free. I was not always familiar with Western cooking, but a few years ago, a frequent French customer of mine gave me a cookbook filled with Western recipes. She was also the one who suggested I carry Western products that are hard to find in China.

11:00 My husband stops by the store to see if anyone has dropped off a new product for him. Whenever a customer, usually a foreigner, recommends or requests a product for our store, they bring us a sample. If we think it would be a useful item to sell, my husband then takes it and searches for a supplier throughout all of China. It makes us happy when we can satisfy our customers and it keeps them coming back.

12:15 It’s been a while since breakfast and I’m hungry, so I eat a quick lunch of noodles and vegetables from a nearby shop. Sometimes I’ll bring my own lunch as well.

13:20 A frequent customer comes in for some fruit and vegetables on her way home. She is an ayi that I’ve come to know and we chat for a bit in the shade as the sun’s heat beats down on the road in front of us.

15:55 Another package arrives at the store via a delivery boy. This time the contents include flour, A1 sauce, Campbell’s soup, olive oil and a variety of canned goods and vegetables like olives, corn and peas.

16:40 Another foreign customer stops by and asks for avocados, jalapeño peppers, tomatoes, onions and limes. She tells me she and her boyfriend want to make something called guacamole, and has heard of my store through the internet. This is the first time I’ve heard of someone who has found me on the internet. Usually new foreigners hear about the shop by word of mouth. I’m quite flattered either way.

18:45 After working for more than 12 hours straight, I am relieved to sit down for a bit and enjoy a quick dinner of rice, eggs and stir-fried vegetables, three of my favorite things to eat.

20:10 The day is not over yet, but only two more hours to go! Re-energized after my meal, I help a customer find cooking wine and salad dressing. He is surprised by how inexpensive my products are, especially compared to big chain supermarkets. I tell him that although my profits are marginal, I think my store and customers are interesting enough to make up for it. It is also flattering to hear that my store and I have gained a reputation throughout the expat community. I never thought it would turn out like this!

22:45 As my helper and I clean the store and prepare for closing, our last customer, a late night taxi driver, stops by to get some fruits and vegetables for his wife. As he gives us money for his merchandise, he comments on the wide variety of sauces, fruits and vegetables in our store. He hints at how we have many “un-Chinese” products in our store, but I just laugh and shrug it off. As he leaves, my partner and I wave goodbye and part ways for the night, only to wake up in five hours to do it all over again.

Have you visited the Avocado Lady and marveled at her extensive range of hard to find products? What do you think of her average day?