R. F. Footcare

Up here at Plot No. 70 in the Sidhuapar Industrial Estate in Barhalganj, we stay pretty busy with the day-to-day of making footwear. R. F. Footcare isn't a massive factory with robots or anything like that. It's mostly just us and the smell of rubber and adhesives. We spend a lot of time looking at soles and making sure the stitching is where it should be. The industrial estate here in Barhalganj is a bit of a trek for some, but it’s where we’ve set up our space. We have stacks of materials piled up against the walls and sometimes it feels a bit cramped when a new shipment arrives. The machines we use have their own personalities; you have to know just how to kick one to make it behave sometimes. We don't have a receptionist or a lobby. Usually, if you show up, you’ll find us near the cutters or the assembly tables. It's honest work. We don't try to make it sound like more than it is. It's about making things that people can actually use on their feet every day. Some days are slower than others, which gives us a chance to clean up the scraps, but mostly it's a steady rhythm of production. We like it here. The neighbors are mostly other small shops, so everyone kind of knows what everyone else is doing. It’s just how things are at Plot 70. We just focus on getting the shoes out on time and making sure they don't fall apart.