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Mrs. Livia is among the last remaining artisans of Bucharest who still work with leather. When she heard for the first time the word “marochiner”, more than 50 years ago, she thought it must have something to do with manicure. Since then to now, the distance is directly proportional with the multitude of bags, shoes, belts and other wonders that she creates and sells daily in her workshop on Calea Șerban Vodă.

The Romanian press has written a lot about “La Nicu”-Hatmaker. Mainly because Nicu is the one person you end up to if you want to know how hats are made or what does it take to work as a hatmaker after you’ve surpassed 90 years old. Here in the workshop hats are made in all sizes and shapes. For theatre plays, movies, special ocasions or just for daily wear. Wooden heads without expression are sitting still on the shelves. They are not there from the last Holloween to scare off the clients, but to help Nea Nicu to create the perfect fitting hat for those who step inside his workshop. The English Pasage, where the workshop is located is a turistic atraction not only for the those who seek adventure, but also for those who want to have a nice talk with Nea Nicu and to see what new hats have appeared in the counter.

Tailor Artim Coop has a shop right on the corner on the other side of the house in which Mita Biciclista used to live. In this workshop one can get to their clothes all sorts of touch ups, two lady tailors work hard, ironing stitches, taking orders, making sure that the finished object looks impecable. “All the items brought to the tailor have to be washed”, a sign on the wall reminds us.

The workshop of tailor Maria is located on 20 Popa Soare Street, is not big, instead it is very welcoming. Mrs. Maria is specialised in making underwear, simple and special corsets, bride veils, costumes for dancers. In the past, at “Venus Fashion House” on Calea Victoriei, she was the one that spent endless hours patiently sewing sequins and beads on the gowns that were created there. In her current workshop, different sorts of repairs are possible, for both women and men’s garments.

Mr Ilie’s shoe repair shop is next door to a tailor shop, right on Popa Soare Str. The usuals of the shop, mostly living in the neighborhood, always greet him, especially when the shoe-maker works at a new pair of shoes in front of the shop. He is in this business for a very long time and he is saddened by the fact that youngsters are not attracted by the show making craft. For him the work he does is a relaxing work that gives him great satisfaction and that in time has proven to be a good and stable means of supporting himself and his family.

In the Old Town of Bucharest there are not only restaurants and bars, but also workshops with front stores, such as Nobile Furs Eleni. Once such workshops were the most common services. Now there is only a few left. Mrs. Eleni is Greek, serves her clients in Romanian language and continues the family tradition of trading and repairing furs.

For many, “Stefan Tailor Shop” is the one found on George Vraca Street. Mr. Stefan has worked in this location for many years in a row, until the summer of 2019, when he decided to move his tailor shop to Voluntari Neighbourhood, on the groundfloor of his house. Except for the address, his services are the same. Only the newly added customers changed. The know-how of the master kept all its qualities intact.  

In Kogalniceanu Square is located the watch shop of Mr Radu. Cuckoo clocks, pendulums all start ticking at once at the exact time. The watchmaker is sitting there next to them, wearing a white robe decorated with clock mechanisms on the front pocket, he repairs watches, changes batteries or reshapes clock mechanisms. Mr Radu has received this craft as a present from his father and even now he does it with passion. The watch-mender he made this routine that in every country he visits at least one watch mender shop, because he feels that he still has things to learn, and also because he believes a craft is to be “stolen”.

Right across Hanul Berarilor, very close to Natiunile Unite Sqare, in a building that seems from long ago each morning is sitting in the doorway Mr Oscar, a leather worker doing this job over 60 years now. Together with his cat, the kraftman speaks dearly about his kraft that was passed on from his father that has worked in the same shop. Here the cat goes meaw while the Mr Oscar works at a leather wallet or some leather belt.

Right on Atelierelor St (The Shops St) in Matache Market we can find Mr Marin’s upholster’s shop. Chairs, sofas, wadding, sponges of all sorts, quilts are there all around the workman. There are plenty of orders coming in that is why Mr Marin hopes that there will be youngsters that will take on this kraft. He does it with joy and is very happy when the client is happy with his work. The sewing machine seldomly stops covering with it’s noise almost complety the voice of the workman.

“Prăvălia lui Virgil” is an excelent example of someone that is said to be “in tune with the trends”. Mr Virgil has always paid attention to how he can accomodate the client’s whishes and to all the novelties. When he is at the shop he wears all the time an leather apron handmade in his shop. Here you can mend fur clothing, shoes, one can shapen scissors, duplicate keys, paint leather, but one can also create from scratch leather products.

Vera Fashion tailor shop is proud to have a young team that easily succeds in translating the days trands onto the client’s own sizes and whishes. Nobody leaves the shop whitout beeing sure that the transformation or the new product is exactly as it should be.