Vajubhai Pakitwala

Vajubhai Pakitwala is a name people around Mumbai Central Ho know pretty well. We’re located at 8 Rashtrabhushan Chowk. It’s a hectic area, right in the thick of things. My father started this long ago, and we’ve just kept it going the same way he did. A pakit is a wallet, and that’s what we specialize in, though we have other small leather goods too. The shop isn’t wide, but it’s deep, and we’ve got glass cases that are probably forty years old. They’re filled with all kinds of wallets—brown, black, some with fancy stitching, some plain. The leather we use is sturdy; it’s meant to last a long time in someone’s pocket. People come in from the station nearby, usually in a hurry. We don’t do much talking, just show them what we have and help them pick something that fits their budget. The fans on the ceiling hum constantly but don't do much for the humidity. We have a small bench in the back where we do repairs. Sometimes someone brings in an old wallet their grandfather gave them, and we try to fix the seams. It’s honest work. We don't have a website or anything like that. We just open the shop every morning, sweep the front, and wait for the first customer of the day to walk in from the Chowk. It is a long day, but we are here.