Shubhankar Handmade Gift Wrapping Papers

Working out of H-690 in the Riico Industrial Area is a bit different than having a shop in the city. At Shubhankar, things are always a little messy because making handmade paper isn't a clean job. There is always water on the floor or scraps of fiber lying around the edges of the room. We don't mind the mess though. It shows we are actually making something with our hands. The industrial area is loud and grey, but inside our unit, there are always these bright colors from the wrapping papers we are drying. It’s not a place where you’d come for a fancy tour. It is a factory space, plain and simple. We spend our hours mixing pulp, pressing sheets, and waiting for things to dry. It depends a lot on the weather; when it’s humid, everything takes twice as long, and we just have to be patient. We didn't choose this spot for the view, that's for sure. We chose it because we needed the space to work and the water access that an industrial zone provides. Most days it’s just the sound of the machines and us talking over the noise. We aren't some big corporate entity. We are just people who know how to make paper and we’ve been doing it at this same address for a good while now. It’s hard work, but we like seeing the finished stacks at the end of the day.