M. Naseer Tailor Army Store

We have been sitting here on Kamal Cinema Road for more years than I can really count. My dad was the one who got this place going and now I am the one dealing with all the measurements and the sewing machines. It is a busy street, especially with the cinema being right there, so there is always noise and people walking by our door. We mostly handle army uniforms because that is what people around here need. The shop is small and it gets pretty crowded with all the rolls of khaki and green cloth piled up in the corners. I spend most of my day sitting at the machine or marking fabric with white chalk. It is dusty work and my eyes get tired by the evening. Sometimes the machines act up and we have to spend an hour fixing them instead of sewing. We aren’t trying to be some big factory or anything like that. It is just a few of us working here and trying to get the orders done on time. Often, we stay late when a lot of uniforms are needed at once. It’s hard to find people who want to learn tailoring these days. Most kids want to work in offices instead. But we are still here, doing the same thing we’ve done since the beginning. The shop isn’t much to look at from the outside, just a door and some thread on the shelves, but it’s our life.