The Roller Bearing Company (Madras)

You can find us over at 219, Thambu Chetty Street. That’s where The Roller Bearing Company (Madras) has its home. This street is always crowded, so getting stuff delivered can be a bit of a struggle if the timing is wrong. We deal with bearings, which isn't the most exciting thing to talk about at a dinner party, but it's what we know. The shelves are mostly full of boxes, and there's that specific smell of metal and oil that stays with you. We’ve been in this part of Madras for quite some time now. People know us by name, or at least they know the shop. It’s not a shiny showroom. It's more of a functional space where we keep stock and talk to the people who walk in looking for a specific size or type. Sometimes we don't have exactly what they want right that second, so we have to go looking through the back or call around. It’s a lot of manual work, moving boxes and checking lists. The overhead fan hums all day, and we usually have the radio playing low in the background. It feels like a proper old-school business. We don't use much technology besides the basics. It’s just about knowing the stock and being here when the door opens in the morning. We try to keep things organized but it doesn't always stay that way for long.