Atlas Shoes International

Our place is in Khoja Haweli, right in the Nai Ki Mandi area. It's an old part of Agra, and you can feel the history in the walls. The building itself has seen better days, but it’s sturdy enough for our work. We make shoes here, and the whole place smells like leather and glue most of the time. It’s a noisy environment with the sound of machines and people shouting over each other to be heard. We have stacks of soles and leather hides piled up in the corners. It’s not a polished factory; it’s more of a traditional workshop where people know their craft. We’ve been making footwear for a long time, and some of the workers have been with us since they were young men. The streets outside are very narrow, so getting materials in is always a challenge. You have to watch out for the rickshaws and the crowds every time you step out. We don't have a fancy showroom. If someone wants to see our shoes, they just come into the work area and look at what we're making. We export some of our stuff, so we spend time packing boxes and labeling them for different countries. It gets very hot in the summer, and we have the big ceiling fans going full speed. We don't use much technology besides the basic machines. It’s mostly handwork and keeping an eye on the stitching to make sure it's right.