Mavawala Carpet Stores

Started on Janjikar Street in Begampura years ago. The shop is full of heavy rolls that we have to move around every day to show people what is underneath. It gets quite dusty here because of all the fabric and the wool. We spend a lot of time just unrolling things and then rolling them back up tightly so they fit against the wall. The street outside is always noisy with carts and people walking past. Sometimes it’s hard to hear anything over the traffic. We have all sorts of carpets stacked up in corners. Some are thick and others are thin for summer. Most of our day is spent helping people see the patterns in the light. The back room is where we keep the older stock that has been sitting there for a bit. It’s a simple place with just a couple of fans to keep the air moving. My clothes usually end up covered in little bits of thread by the time I go home. It’s just how it is working with rugs and floor coverings. We don’t have fancy displays or anything like that. Just piles of stock and a counter where we talk to everyone who comes in. Sometimes neighbors just stop by to say hello while they are out shopping for other things on the street. It feels like a busy spot but we just keep doing our work inside.