Monalika Boutique

You’ll find us on Lane-4 in Ekta Vihar, which is right across from Shalini Public School on Sahastradhara Road. Monalika Boutique is basically a small local shop where we do a lot of sewing and garment work for the people in this area. Being near the school means things get a bit busy during the morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up times, but the rest of the day is usually quiet enough for us to work. We spend most of our time at the sewing machines or talking to people about what they want to wear for special occasions. Our shelves are usually packed with different fabrics we’ve collected or that customers have brought in. It’s not a polished boutique with a lot of staff in uniforms; it’s mostly just us doing the actual labor ourselves. We often have pins in our cushions and chalk marks all over the fabric we’re currently cutting. Sometimes a project doesn't go exactly as planned and we have to start over or make some last-minute adjustments, but that’s just part of the job. We don’t use any fancy software or computers for our work, just a lot of hand measurements and old-fashioned techniques that we've learned over the years. People in the neighborhood know they can drop by and chat about a repair or a new dress. We like being on Sahastradhara Road and being part of the community.