Al Falah

If you're looking for Al Falah, we’re up on the first floor of the A S Sho Fort building. We are at Shop Number 121, right opposite Musafirkhana Road in the middle of Mumbai. This area is always packed with people and the noise from the street never really stops. Being on the first floor means we have to carry everything up the stairs, which keeps us in shape, I guess. The shop is a bit small and the ceiling is high, with old wooden rafters showing. We deal with various goods and spend most of the day sorting through paperwork or talking to suppliers who come in from the port area. It’s a very old part of town, so the building has a lot of character, even if the walls need a fresh coat of paint. We’ve been here long enough that we know all the other shopkeepers on this floor. We don't have a website or anything like that; we just do our work and talk to the people who find us. Most of our business comes from word of mouth or people just walking by. The lights flicker sometimes when the heavy machinery in the next shop starts up. It’s a busy, cramped, and noisy way to work, but it’s how things are in this part of Mumbai. We just keep the door open to catch whatever breeze comes off the street and get on with our tasks. It's nothing special, just our daily routine.