T. P. Silks

Down at D 53/13 Jaddumandi on Luxa Road, you’ll find us at T. P. Silks. This part of town is always busy, especially in the evenings when everyone is out shopping or heading home. Our shop is tucked in there with a lot of others. We don’t have any big neon signs or anything like that. Inside, it’s mostly just rows and rows of wooden cubbies filled with sarees and fabric. We’ve spent years learning how to tell the quality of silk just by touching it. My father taught me, and I’m teaching my nephew now. It’s a lot of sitting on the floor and showing pieces to customers. We have these white sheets spread out on the floor so the fabric stays clean while we show it. It’s a lot of work on the knees, but it’s the way we’ve always done it. Sometimes people stay for an hour just looking at three different shades of red, and we just wait and talk about the weather or the local news while they decide. We have a small kettle in the back for making tea when there is a break. The walls could probably use a fresh coat of paint, but we haven't gotten around to it yet. We're more worried about keeping the stock updated. It is just a simple family shop where we try to be fair and keep things moving without needing anything fancy or expensive.