Aandhy Building Materials

You will find us at number 5, Vattipilaiyar Kovil Street. Our shop is right on the street level, and we deal with all kinds of building materials. It’s a small space, so we have to stack the cement bags and bricks very carefully to make room for everyone to move. Vattipilaiyar Kovil Street is a narrow one, and it gets quite busy with people going to the temple or just passing through. We’ve been here for a long time, and the building itself is quite old. We don’t have a computer system; we just use a big paper ledger to write down what we sell each day. My clothes are usually covered in white dust from the lime and cement. It’s a messy job, but we enjoy being right in the middle of the community. People stop by not just to buy things, but sometimes just to say hello or ask for advice on a small repair. We don't have a marketing team or any shiny brochures. We just show the customers what we have in the back. Sometimes we run out of sand if the trucks are delayed, and we have to tell people to come back tomorrow. It’s a very simple way of doing business. We sit out front on wooden benches when it’s not too hot. The street has a lot of character, and we are happy to be a part of it.