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
Mrs. Silvia repairs coats, purses, shoes, and on top of that she also knows how to dye them. She has been working here since 1995, but she learnt the craft in highschool. Together with Mrs. Elena, with whom she sometimes collaborates, they fill up the workshop with smiles.
Strada Slanic, nr. 4
This shop of repairing pens is the only one that is left in Bucharest. It is like a treasure for the modern man that still uses pens. Mr Mircea, repairs pens, glasses and rides the bike daily. He is a regular for the media being the only one that still practices this kraft. The nibs (tip of the fountain pen) that have been seen by Mr Mircea have varied deeply from regual school pens to nibs as precious as jewery owned by important politicians that used them to sign hig level papers. Mr Mircea remembers how long the line of people was in front of his shop in Ceauşescu’s regim. The kraft is inherited from his father, everything being coverd in secrecy, because the know how was passed only between family members. Although he is sorry to say this the kraft has ened in the family with him. The number of clients has dropped but the good part is that the quality of the pieces that are waiting in line on the counter has risen.
Strada Colţei, nr. 6
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
Pantea Serv Impex is a workshop that does windows and mirrors works and one can find it in the back of the courtyard that has the entrance on Ion Mihalache Bvd. Opened since 1992, it has managed to be different that the other same trade workshops because it can do a high and divers number of orders. Starting with all kinds of glass and ending with all sorts of mirrors.
Bd. Ion Mihalache, nr. 20
Framing paintings, all sorts of glasses, with or without mid frame, mirrors of diferent shapes and sizes all can be done in the shop of Tehnica sticlei (a shop that works in glass) that can be found on Corneliu Coposu Bvd, where had been working since the 90s Mr Dan. The first contact he had with this kraft happened in his childhood thanks to the parents of the workman that had shown him the steps in working with glass. At first we reject what we receive from our parents, but after some years passed Mr Dan has strongly realised what valuable gift his parents had made him, and now he proundly speaks about the orders that arrive in the shop.
Bd. Corneliu Coposu, nr. 4, bl. 105A
Knife sharpening, scissors sharpening, big or small, is an art that one learns with time. Mr Alexandru has been a whetter for many years now, working in the only workshop for sharpening still open on Kogalniceanu Bvd. For kids these days to guess what a whetter does requires a lot of imagination. Because of the noise the polishing stones make when they constantly rotate. Whetting is a although loud, solitary kraft.
Bd. Kogălniceanu, nr. 7
Taking a stroll on 1 Mai Bvd we find Croitoria Artim which answers the needs of those who live or work in this area. One of the methods to apply principles of sustainable consumption is to buy less and repair, but also to choose the local business. The tailors are doing this job for many years now and they say that very little is surprising anymore. That does not exclude that every tailor has their own preferences.
Bd. 1 Mai, nr. 28
Română
