Afrah Silks

At Afrah Silks, we are located at No. 32/a 1st Cross in the Umar Bagh Layout area of Banashankari. It is a bit tucked away, so it is usually quieter than the main roads. We have been working with silks here for a long time. The space is filled with rolls of fabric in every color you can think of. It takes a lot of effort to keep the silk from getting wrinkled, so we spend a good part of the morning just smoothing things out and re-folding. The floors are concrete and can get cold in the winter months. We usually have the radio playing softly in the background while we work. It is not a high-tech operation. We mostly use our hands and a few old measuring sticks. Sometimes the delivery trucks have a hard time navigating the narrow cross streets, so we end up carrying rolls of silk down the block ourselves. It is physical work and our backs often ache by five o'clock. We don't spend money on fancy decorations for the shop. We just keep the shelves sturdy and the fabric clean. Most of our day is spent checking the quality of the weave and making sure the edges aren't frayed. On Saturdays, the layout is a bit more crowded with families out and about. We usually keep a jar of water on the counter for anyone who comes in thirsty. It is just a simple, local business trying to keep up.