Venkateswara Leathers

Being at 741 Anna Salai means there is never a quiet moment. The road is always packed with cars and buses going past. We are located in this stretch where a lot of business happens every single day. We deal in leather, mostly skins and finished pieces that people use for various things. Our space is filled with the scent of treated leather, which is quite strong when the sun hits the front of the shop. We don't have a big team, just a few of us who know the different grades and textures. We spend the morning sorting through what arrived the previous evening. People walk in looking for specific colors or a certain feel for their projects. We show them what’s available on the shelves. There isn't any fancy showroom setup here, just practical storage and a place to sit and talk. We use old ledgers mostly, though there is a computer in the corner that we use when we have to. It’s a busy life on Anna Salai. You see the same faces every morning when the tea stall nearby opens up. We just focus on getting the right leather to the right person. Sometimes it’s one or two pieces, other times it’s a whole stack for a workshop. We just keep going until it's time to pull the gates down in the evening and head home for the day.