Saad Leather Boutique

Our shop is Number 5 in the Issa Suleman Chawl. We are right on Sant Rohidas Marg, on that link road between Sion and Bandra. Being in Dharavi, there is a lot of leather work happening all around us. Saad Leather Boutique is our little space where we keep our stock. The smell of leather is very strong when you first walk in, but I don't even notice it anymore. We have bags and jackets and all sorts of things hanging from the walls and ceiling. It is a bit of a squeeze when more than two customers come in at once. We spend a lot of time cleaning the dust off the items because the road outside is always busy with traffic. There is a lot of soot from the buses. Sometimes we sit on the stools outside the shop and watch the cars go by when it is quiet. It is not a fancy mall shop with bright lights and glass floors. It is just a regular place in a chawl where we do our business. We know most of the other shopkeepers around here, and we often share a meal or a newspaper. It is a simple life and we just try to keep the shop looking decent for whoever walks in. The door sticks a little bit during the rainy season because of the wood swelling, so you have to give it a good shove to get inside.