Deepam Silk

Our shop, Deepam Silk, is at 67 Mahathma Gandhi Road. It’s right in the middle of everything, so it’s always busy outside. We’ve been here for a long time. The building is old and has a lot of character, though the plumbing acts up sometimes. Inside, it’s full of colors. We have rolls and rolls of silk stacked up everywhere. It smells like old fabric and incense because we light a stick every morning. Most of the staff have been with us for ten or twenty years. We know each other's families and stories. We don't really do much advertising. People just know where we are. Sometimes the power goes out and we have to use flashlights to show the fabrics to customers. It’s not ideal, but we make it work. We spend a lot of time folding and unfolding things. Silk is delicate, so we have to be careful with our hands. We aren't corporate people. We don't have meetings or spreadsheets. We just look at the stock, talk to the weavers when they come in, and help the people who walk through the door. The MG Road traffic is loud, but once you’re inside, it feels a bit more peaceful. We keep a few stools for people to sit on while they look at the sarees. It’s a simple way of doing things, but it’s worked for us so far.