Saaqib Leather Industry

At Saaqib Leather Industry, we work out of No. 2 Basha Street. You can usually smell the leather before you even get to the door. It’s a very specific scent that sticks to your skin and hair. We spend our time cutting, stitching, and treating various hides. It is hard work on the hands and my fingers are usually a bit stained by the end of the day. The shop is small and the light isn't always the best, but we make it work. We have some heavy-duty machines that make a lot of noise. Basha Street is a tight fit, so deliveries can be a bit of a headache when the trucks come. We don’t have a fancy showroom with glass cases. Everything is just sitting on shelves or in boxes ready to go out. We've been doing this for a long time and learned from the people before us. It’s a traditional way of working. We don’t use computers for much other than the basic stuff. Most of the thinking happens on the cutting table with a piece of chalk. Sometimes the leather has marks or scratches and we have to work around them. It’s a natural material so it’s never perfect. We just do our best with what we have and keep the business running. It’s a quiet life mostly, just us and the leather.