Shams Electronics

Living and working near 9 No Gate means you never really get any quiet, but that’s okay for us. Shams Electronics has been in this spot for a good while, and most of the locals know where to find us when their stuff breaks down. I spend most of my hours hunched over a workbench with a soldering iron in my hand. There are old television sets and radios stacked up in the corner, some waiting for parts that take forever to arrive. The shop isn't very organized, if I’m being honest. There are wires everywhere and drawers full of screws that I sometimes can't find the match for. When the power goes out, we just sit on the stools outside and watch the people going through the gate. It’s a busy spot. People bring in fans that stopped spinning or kettles that don't heat up anymore. I do my best to figure out what’s wrong, even when the circuits look like a mess. Sometimes a repair takes ten minutes, other times I’m staring at it for three days straight. My hands are usually a bit dirty from the grease and dust inside those old machines. It isn't a glamorous job, but it keeps me busy and I like the smell of the hot solder. We don't have a big team, just a couple of us trying to make things work again. It's a simple life here and we just take it one day at a time.