Hmk Enterprises

You can find Hmk Enterprises at 10/6, Owlia Sahib Street, in the Second Lane off Ellis Road. It’s right near Mount Road, so it is in the middle of everything, but tucked away enough that it can be hard to spot if you aren't looking for it. The building is an old one, and our unit is on the ground floor. We deal with various trading supplies and small machinery parts. The shelves go all the way to the ceiling, and we have to use a very shaky ladder to get to the top ones. It’s a family-run thing, mostly. My cousin and I handle the day-to-day work, from taking the orders to packing them up in brown paper and twine. We don't have a fancy showroom. Most of our business happens over the phone or with people who walk in because they saw our small board on the corner. The lighting inside isn't the best, so we usually keep the front door wide open to let the daylight in. During the monsoon, the lane gets some puddles that take forever to dry up, but we just put some bricks down to walk on. We aren't trying to be the biggest company in Chennai. We just want to keep the shop running and make enough to keep everyone happy. It’s a simple way of living and working that our family has done for two generations now.