During my younger days, there used to be several shops selling firewood and charcoal (விறகு தொட்டி) as many households and businesses were using them. In fact, the present Sardar Patel Road Adyar had a couple of them. Today, the use for these is confined to small operations like ironing, etc. Hence the number of shops has dwindled. This shop still survives in Mambalam in a prime location and is run by the descendants of the family who started it. The present owner admitted that the business is dull and the pressure to sell off the property is high.
Madras Nalla Madras. A photo blog on Madras, that is Chennai 