Shalla Handloom

You can find Shalla Handloom in Fatehpur Sikri, right near the old Jyoti Cinema. It’s a place with a lot of history, and we feel like we fit right in. We’ve been working with handlooms for a long time. It’s a slow process, nothing like the big factories you see in the cities. We use the old ways because that’s what we were taught. The shop isn't very large, and it’s usually filled with the sound of the looms and the smell of the yarn. We don’t have a lot of fancy displays. Most of the fabric is just stacked up on shelves or sitting on the floor. People come in from the street because they’re curious or they’ve heard about us from a neighbor. We don’t do any advertising. We just let the work speak for itself. Sometimes the threads break or the colors don’t come out exactly the same every time, but that’s just how hand-made things are. We aren't trying to be a huge brand. We just want to keep the tradition alive and earn enough to keep the shop open. Most days we sit outside for a bit when it’s quiet and watch the people going by the cinema. It’s a simple life, but it’s ours. We’re just happy to be here.