Yoro Leathers

Down here in East Tambaram, things move at their own pace. Yoro Leathers is situated at 80 Mes Road, right in Ganapathipuram. If you know the area, you know it’s a mix of houses and small shops. The smell of leather is pretty much always in the air at our place. It’s a heavy scent, something you just get used to after a week or two. We spend a lot of time checking the hides and making sure the cutters are doing what they need to do. The floor is usually covered in scrap pieces and dust. It’s not the cleanest job, but it’s honest work. Mes Road gets quite busy with the school traffic in the mornings, so getting the morning tea is a bit of a hurdle. We have a couple of big tables where all the work happens. The guys talk about cricket while they work, and sometimes the radio is playing something old. It’s not a high-tech setup. We use our hands and some old machines that need oiling every other day. Sometimes the power goes out, and we just sit outside on the steps until it comes back on. It’s a local spot, nothing fancy, just a group of people working with leather every day until the sun goes down and the street lights flick on. It gets hot in the afternoons, so we keep the back door open to get a little bit of a breeze.