Universal Agencies

Universal Agencies is set up on Press Road, right by the Volkart Gate. It’s a well-known landmark, so people usually don't have much trouble finding us. The building we are in is older, with those heavy wooden doors that creak every time someone comes in. Working as an agency means we deal with a lot of different people every day. Some are in a hurry, others want to sit down and talk for an hour. We have a few desks scattered around the room and a lot of cabinets filled with forms and records. Press Road can get quite noisy with the traffic, especially in the mornings when everyone is heading to work. We can hear the gate opening and closing all day long. It’s not a polished corporate office. The paint is peeling a little in the corners and the floor tiles are mismatched in places. But it’s comfortable for us. We’ve got a small stove in the back to make tea, which is pretty much essential. Most of our day is spent typing things out or checking schedules. We don't have a big mission statement hanging on the wall. We just try to get the paperwork right so nobody has problems later on. It’s a practical job. We’ve been here at Volkart Gate for a long time, and we know the other shop owners on the street pretty well.