Bhaktapur is a city in Nepal that is a cultural hub of art and architecture - through paintings, woodwork, carvings, and pottery. Located within the dense residential neighborhood of Bhaktapur, the Peacock Shop is a traditional Nepalese 'lokta' paper factory that has become a museum of Newari craftsmanship. Established in 1987, the shop is a non-profit organization encompassing an area of 5000 sq. ft. including a medieval-style paper factory, printing ateliers, craft workshops, and a Buddhist narrative museum. The shop is run by Ram Narayan Prajapati, a scientist and an art enthusiast, who has been an ardent collector of architectural elements in Nepal.

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The shop is a two-storied structure where the museum and paper factory go hand in hand. The entrance to the shop is from a narrow lane, with small, unique art shops on a raised plinth on each side of the lane. The paper factory, a part of a growing building, connects with the museum via doors on each floor, despite being a separate entity, allowing visitors to transition seamlessly between the two spaces. After the 2015 earthquake, the shop underwent restoration, integrating remnants of Bhaktapur's ruined monuments. Now, it boasts a rooftop dedicated to traditional handmade paper production and printing, preserving a method from the ninth or tenth century. This rooftop also serves as a laboratory for construction techniques, offering visitors insight into the traditional craftsmanship involved in its development. As the building is being retrofitted at regular intervals to incorporate additional exhibits, it grows organically and the spaces are not pre-planned. 

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The museum exhibits traditional Newari architectural elements and becomes a space that interacts with traditional paper craftsmanship, with original hand-carved pillars and railings and features products made from Lokta paper. The traditional paper is made from the bark of two varieties of the Daphne plants - Daphne bholua and Daphne papyracea, known as lokta bushes. Due to its ability to resist humidity and insects, the paper was largely used for religious and government documents in ancient times. In addition to traditional printing methods, the Peacock Shop also produces handmade paper using a variety of leaves and flowers, such as the marigold, which has religious and cultural significance in Nepal. 

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The Peacock Shop is not just a shop but a non-profit idea aiming at heritage preservation through the promotion of medieval craftsmanship and the spread of Buddhist ideals. Ram Narayan Prajapati’s vision is to make a space that speaks for itself, for which he keeps hiring more craftsmen to contribute to his idea. The labyrinth of space continues to accommodate everyone visiting it, to have a glance at this unique combination of history, art, and innovation that defines the space.