Rahul Velvets

Our shop is over in Kalbadevi, specifically in the Gyan Building. It’s shop number 62 on the second floor. If you know Ramwadi, you know how busy it gets around here. There’s always someone moving a cart or a bundle of fabric in the lane. We spend our mornings opening up and organizing the velvet rolls. It’s a lot of heavy lifting. The space isn't huge, but we make it work by stacking things high. It smells like fabric and old wood in here. We’ve been in this neighborhood for a long time, so we know most of the other shopkeepers. Sometimes we have tea together while waiting for the next customer. The light in the shop isn't great, but we have some good lamps to show the colors. Dealing with velvet is tricky because it catches every bit of dust. We spend a good amount of time cleaning and brushing the stock. People come in looking for specific shades for weddings or fancy clothes. We just pull out whatever we have and let them feel the quality. It’s a simple business. No computers for the fancy stuff, just a big ledger for the accounts. The stairs to the second floor are steep, so we carry everything by hand. It keeps us fit, I guess. It’s a loud, vibrant part of town to work in every single day. We wouldn't want to be anywhere else, even with the noise and the crowds. It's just home to us.