Masalia Brothers

You can find us over at Building 296 on Samuel Street, up on the fourth floor in Room 49. Being in Masjid Bunder West means it’s always a scramble to get through the crowds. The stairs up to the fourth floor are a bit steep, and there’s no lift, so we get our exercise every single day. We’ve been in this room for quite a while now. It’s a small space, mostly filled with boxes and a couple of old fans that struggle in the summer heat. We deal with various goods, mostly trading whatever is in demand at the time. My brother handles the phone calls while I look after the stock and the paperwork. It’s a lot of shouting and noise from the street below, but you get used to it after a week. We have tea delivered from the guy downstairs twice a day, which keeps us going. Sometimes the rain leaks a little near the window, so we have to move the boxes around to keep them dry. We don't have a fancy website or a marketing team. It’s just us two and a lot of hard work. We know most of the other traders in the building, and we often swap stories about the market during lunch. It’s a tight-knit community here on Samuel Street. We stay late most nights just to make sure the books are balanced before we head home for some rest.