KAIRA

Our shop is on Chittoor Road in Kacherippady, which is a pretty central part of Ernakulam. We are quite close to Vimalalyam, so that’s a good landmark if you’re trying to find us. KAIRA has been around for a bit, and we’ve seen the road change quite a bit over the years. The traffic on Chittoor Road can be a nightmare sometimes, especially during the morning and evening school runs. Inside the shop, it’s a lot quieter. We spend our time folding clothes, organizing the racks, and talking to the people who wander in. Most of our customers are locals who live nearby or work in the offices around Kacherippady. It’s not a massive showroom, just a regular-sized shop where we keep things simple. The humidity in Kerala can be tough on the fabrics, so we have to be careful with how we store everything and keep the place dry. We open up in the morning, sweep the front, and wait for the day to start. It’s a steady kind of work. We don't go in for big advertisements or loud music. We just keep the shop tidy and help people find what they need. Some days are slow, especially when it’s raining hard, but that’s just life in Ernakulam. We’ve become a small part of the neighborhood routine over the years and we just keep doing our work.