Shabnam Art Ladies Tailor

If you go to Gandhi Market and look for Shop No 107, that is where you will find us. We are near the Inlaks Hospital Road, which is always crowded. Shabnam Art Ladies Tailor is a small place, but we keep it very busy. There is usually the sound of three or four sewing machines going at the same time. It’s a constant hum. We have rolls of fabric stacked up to the ceiling in some parts of the shop. Different colors of thread are everywhere. Sometimes I feel like I have pins stuck in my clothes even when I’m at home. We do a lot of blouses and suits. Customers come in with their own fabric and a picture they found somewhere. We have to figure out how to make it fit them right. It’s not always easy. Measurements can be tricky, and some fabrics are slippery or too thick. The market is very loud outside, but we are used to it. We drink a lot of chai to keep our energy up. People know us because we’ve been in this same shop for years. We don't have any fancy signs or big mirrors, just the old wooden ones on the wall. My hands are usually covered in chalk marks by the end of the day. It’s a good life, working with cloth and making things people can wear to weddings or just to the market.