Alain Enterprises

You’ll find Alain Enterprises over at 29 Hassan Basha Cross Street in Pallavaram. It’s one of those narrow streets where everyone knows everyone else’s business. We’ve been operating out of this spot for a while now, and it’s a pretty simple setup. There’s a small front area where we meet people and a back room where we store all our stuff. It’s not a big fancy showroom with bright lights. We mostly just have the basic furniture we bought when we first opened up. The walls could probably use a fresh coat of paint, but we’re usually too busy to worry about that. Pallavaram is a busy part of town, so there is always the sound of scooters and people shouting outside. We deal with all sorts of local trade, and our day is mostly spent keeping track of what’s coming in and what’s going out. It’s just a few of us working here, so we all end up doing a bit of everything, from answering the phone to carrying boxes. We don't have a big marketing budget or a social media manager. Most of our work comes from people who just know us or walk by the shop. We try to be helpful when someone asks a question, and we don't try to push things on people they don't need. It’s a modest way to make a living, but it works for us and we like being part of the street. Every evening we just pull down the shutter and head home.