Mehrotra Silk Store

Mehrotra Silk Store is located at Kunj Gali Chowk. It’s a busy corner. We spend our days rolling and unrolling fabric for whoever comes through the door. The silk has a certain smell that you get used to after a while. My uncle used to run this before us, and he taught us how to tell the quality just by touching it with our eyes closed. We don't have those big air conditioners, just a few ceiling fans that spin all day. During wedding season, the shop can get quite messy. There are scraps of colorful cloth and thread everywhere on the floor. We try to keep it clean but it’s almost impossible when customers are looking through everything at once. We sit on the floor mostly, on those white mattresses. It's more comfortable that way when you're working long hours. Sometimes we have tea with the people who come in. It’s not just about selling fabric; it’s about talking and hearing stories too. We have people who have been buying from us for thirty years or more. Their kids and grandkids come now. We don't have a website or any of that modern stuff. We just open the shutters in the morning and close them at night. It’s a lot of folding and stacking. My back hurts by the end of the day, but that’s just part of the job. We just try to provide what people are asking for and stay busy.