It is difficult to imagine that just walking on Iiuliu Maniu Bvd one can have the feeling of being on a runway in Italy. But by stepping inside Mon atelier de creatie vestimentara si retusuri (My shop for creating and retouching clothes) the situation becomes a little different. Here the tailors don’t just retouch your clothes, they also have all the skills to create from scratch suits, dresses, with the client’s fabric, that can easlily run in the capital of fashion. They have been working in Italy for famous clothing brands for more than 15 years, but their dream was to open their own shop and come back to Romania. Now they are hiring another tailor.
Bd. Iuliu Maniu, nr. 59
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.
Strada Franceză, nr. 32
In the long history of the Coltei street, many shopes have opened and closed down here, the street being a prefered place for trading for the craftsmen of the time. Besides the remaining furrieries, here we can find the tailor shop of Mr. Vasile. Highly-ranked tailor with a vast experience, he analizes with curious eyes the tailoring of the clothes worm by the customers that step into his workshop.
Strada Colței, nr. 36
Mrs Anica has started this business more than 15 years ago. She had some help from her son and son-in-law. The first shop was located in Colentina neighbourhood, but when she moved at this address, she was happy to see that the clients have followed her here. Being a skillful tailor, Mrs Anica mends clothes but also makes them from scratch.
Stefan cel mare, nr 35
The great number of advertising on this side of Academiei Street, some of which for places that don’t exist anymore, makes the clock-fixing workshop hard to find. Across the street from St. Nicholas Built-in-a-Day Church we can leave out watches and glasses frames to be fixed by trustworthy hands.
Strada Academiei, nr. 25
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.
Pasajul Englez
Mr. Daniel is a remarcable cobbler. He has been working in the field for 30 years and went through prestigious national and international companies. His promotion was among the lasts that learnt how to make shoes manually and completely: with sewn frame, sewn sole, manually mounted. As he well says, “no matter if you are prime-minister or a confused citizen, you still need to put a heel piece”. He opened this workshop in 2013, when he returned from Athens, where he worked on sophisticated machineries for shoe-making. When he visits another country, Mr. Daniel enjoys finding and walking into the shoe-making workshops from that place. For the future he holds important plans related to perpetuating the craft of cobblers.
Bd. Corneliu Coposu, nr. 4
Close to Norilor Market, Mr George waits his customers in the workshop that has written in front “Mobila si tapiterie” –> Upholsters. Reading the cooperative’s website, we find out that it was established in 1959 and holds a long tradition in building, repairing and restoring furniture and interior designs of all sorts. Mr. George has a lot of experience in the field, proven by the photographs taken on his phone of all the chairs, sofas and armchairs that he upholsters with patience and care. Sometimes, the craft of the upholsterer can be noticed in the interiors of cultural spaces of Bucharest. Next time we go to see a theatre play or other cultural events, we can look more attentively around and perhaps we will be able to spot the work done in the workshop
Strada Constantin Rădulescu-Motru, nr. 16
Română
