N. Kantilal & Sons

Our family has been running N. Kantilal & Sons from the Muraji Walji Building for quite a long time. We are situated in Room 36 on the first floor. If you’ve ever been to Kolbat Lane near Kalbadevi Road, you know how narrow and crowded it gets. It’s a maze of old buildings and tiny shops. Carrying goods up to the first floor is always a bit of a workout for the boys. The building has that old Mumbai character with high ceilings and thick walls. We mostly deal with traditional trading, keeping up the work that was started generations ago. It’s not a quiet place to work because of the constant shouting of loaders and the horns from the street below. We have stacks of ledgers and samples everywhere. Space is tight, so we have to be very organized with how we store things. Most of our business comes from long-time contacts who have been coming to this lane for decades. We drink a lot of cutting chai throughout the day to keep going. It’s a tough environment but there’s a lot of life in it. We don't have a website or anything like that; we just rely on people knowing our name and where to find us in the building. It’s how things have always been done in Kalbadevi, and we don't see that changing anytime soon. We just show up every morning and open the locks like everyone else here. It’s a long day usually.