Master Leather Works

We’ve been here at 307 on Infantry Road for a good while now, right near the Vijay Talkies Chowk. It’s a busy spot in Navi Peth and the shop usually has that thick smell of leather that you notice the second you step inside. Most days, there are bits of scrap and thread all over the floor because we are always busy working on something. We handle things like bags that need new straps or shoes where the soles have finally given up after too much walking. It’s not a fancy place, just a simple workshop with a few benches and a lot of old tools that have seen better days. The light isn’t the best in the back, but we know where everything is. People stop by on their way home from the market or when they’re heading to catch a movie nearby. Sometimes it’s just to ask if a zipper can be fixed or to get a belt punched with an extra hole. We just get on with it, sitting among the stacks of hide and the old sewing machines that make quite a bit of noise when they’re running. The traffic outside at the chowk never seems to quiet down, but you get used to the horns and the shouting. It’s just how things are here in this part of town, and we’ve gotten comfortable in this little space over the years.