T Chengalvarayan Silk

T Chengalvarayan Silk is located at No. 38/62 Thiruvalluvar Street. We are right behind the Vengudi Hospital, which is a big landmark for anyone trying to find us. Being on the back side of a hospital means there is always a lot of movement on the street. People are walking by at all hours. Our shop is where we keep all the silk we handle. It’s not a fancy place with bright lights and glass displays like you see in the big malls. It’s a more traditional kind of setup. We have shelves full of different fabrics and we spend our time checking the quality and making sure everything is stored properly. Thiruvalluvar Street is quite narrow, so it can get a bit crowded when two cars try to pass each other. We’ve been at this location for many years, so we know the neighbors well. Sometimes we sit out on the steps for a bit of air when it gets quiet. The silk business is something that takes a lot of patience. You have to look at the threads and the patterns closely. We aren't using fancy computers for everything; a lot of our notes are still kept in big ledgers. It’s a bit old-fashioned, but it works for us and the people who come to see us. We are just a local shop doing our best with the silk trade.