Somewhere in the noisy lanes of Dhobi Talao stands a picturesque shop; a little old fashioned, with a small cosy bench, and loads of memories. The owner is a fourth generation Parsi; but the heavy wooden name board proclaiming the store’s 1887 roots has been recently replaced with a new one. “But the character and tradition still remain,” assures owner Keki Kerawalla. One of the only shops in Mumbai to design authentic Sapats, the traditional footwear used by priests as they walk inside the fire temple, Kerawalla and Company has had a long history. “Can you imagine we only sold Sapats for the first 100 years?” says Keki, a little amused herself.

Her “tiny shop” as she often refers to it, has now widened its reach with new shelves and plastic boxes. Each box holds a tradition, be it the net sadras (traditional vests) from Gujarat or the German silverware, or the multi-coloured Parsi caps. There is also a new provision store and bakery that she has opened within the premises. Her trusted aides — all from Bihar and now smoothly adapted to the Parsi style — are Gundesh, the nickname for the chef; Tuntun and Luv Singh who is now called Love Singh who make up Keki’s small family. But it is the goodwill of the traditional Sapat that makes her store a ‘must visit’ in the small, tightly-knit community that will celebrate their new year this week. Over the years, while the traditional design has not been compromised, there are a few innovations added to make the Sapat look contemporary, but always with the comfort of the cloth and leather.

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