Colours & Chemicals

If you go down Threeke Road in Tharagupet, near Minto Hospital, you will find Colours & Chemicals at number 76. This isn't a shop for window shopping; it’s a place of work. We deal with dyes, powders, and various chemical products that people use for their small industries or home projects. The air here always has a bit of a sharp smell, which is something you get used to after working here for a while. We have large bags and containers stacked up on the heavy wooden floors. Tharagupet is an old trading area, so there is a lot of history in these streets. We spend our days measuring out portions and talking to regulars who know exactly what they need. It’s a lot of manual work, moving things around and making sure everything is labeled correctly. We don’t have a fancy showroom or anything; it’s mostly just a warehouse feel with a small counter for customers. The building is old and has high ceilings which helps a bit with the heat. We get all sorts of people coming in, from artists looking for a specific pigment to builders needing something for a project. It’s a straightforward business without any bells or whistles. We open early when the lorries start arriving and we close when the sun goes down and the street gets a bit quieter. Sometimes the rain makes the road a bit muddy, but we just wait for it to clear.