L I Binding Works

Our shop is called Palace View because we are right near the Bishop’s Palace here in Kottayam. We do binding work, mostly for books and documents that people want to keep for a long time. It’s a lot of glue, thread, and heavy presses. The smell of paper and old materials is always in the air here. We have been in this spot in Changanacheri for many years now. It’s a small operation, mostly just us working with our hands. We don’t use those big automatic machines you see in factories. We take the pages, line them up, and make sure the covers are on straight. Sometimes our fingers get cramped from the fine work, but it’s part of the trade. People bring us their old records or school projects to get them bound properly. It’s a quiet kind of work, mostly. We listen to the local news on the radio while we sit at the benches. Kottayam is a nice place for this kind of thing because people still value physical books. We don’t make a big deal out of what we do; it’s just a service for the local folks. Our shop isn't modern-looking, but it’s sturdy and we have all the tools we need. If you walk past the palace, you’ll see our sign. We just stay busy with the stacks of paper that come in every morning and try to finish them by evening.