Zagreb Craftsmen: The First Stores in Zagreb
Today, I decided to take a walk around Zagreb. There were all kinds of interesting stores around me. All sorts of brands, the offer is exquisite and vast. "Zagreb is a true European capital", I thought. But that wasn't the reason I was in town that morning. I wanted to give a sort of an ode to the foundations of those modern stores. I tried to find out how all of this came to be. How did people get a coat before all of this razzle-dazzle in the form of modern stores even existed? Was there a young man like me, in this very spot I'm standing at right now, asking where to buy some good shoes or a shirt for this Saturday's dance. My goal today was to look for people who built everything they have with the skill they have, their two hands and their tools. Tailors, shoemakers, furriers, hatmakers, jewelers, carpenters, glaziers, bookbinders, hairdressers, florists, and even umbrella makers. The amount of different products and crafts made by old Zagreb's artisans is simply incredible. If you ever come to Zagreb, never mind a postcard or a plastic figurine of Ban Jelačić. The products of these people are the real souvenirs to bring back home.
Video Credit: Thomislav Cerovečki/Cerovečki Umbrellas
This started as a nice walk around Zagreb, but then the rain started. Luckily for me, I was walking through Ilica when I arrived at Cerovečki umbrellas. I stopped and stared. There it was, a famous Šestine umbrella. "Good day", a man's voice said to me, dragging away my look from the beautiful handicraft. "How can I help you?" continued the man. "Well, it just started to rain, and I didn't bring my umbrella", I replied. "Yeah, everyone remembers us when this happens", the man jokingly replied. "As far as I'm here, can I ask you a question?". "Shoot!", the man replied readily. "I was actually going to write a story about the old craftsmen in Zagreb, do you have some interesting stories I could share with my readers?". The conversation went on for a couple of minutes. It turns out the man there is the fourth generation of master craftsmen making umbrellas and that the store itself, originates from Varaždin, and the store in Zagreb opened as a result of business expansion. Besides making umbrellas for 1936 London exhibition, and winning top awards there, Cerovečki umbrellas have been getting orders from both domestic and foreign television stations. They even got a request from as far as Japan after being seen on tv. Talk about UmbrYelling!
Photo Credit: Zagreb Crafts: Davor Puklavec/Pixell(Renato Bočak)
Stepping out of the umbrella store, I noticed my shoe sole went a bit off. "Well, this story is writing itself," I thought to myself since I remembered that one of the best Zagrebian shoemakers, Renato Bočak has his shop just a few numbers up the street. If it's good enough for Billy Bob Thorton, it's good enough for me. (The actor stopped by in Zagreb during a movie shoot in Belgrade and bought a pair of shoes. He came back after a few days, just to say he never wore anything more comfortable.) As my shoes were good and ready, I continued my walk. The rain had stopped pouring, and I could continue my journey with artisans in the main roles. It was at that moment that I remembered how I'm always postponing to go to a horologist to get the batteries of my watch changed. (Yes, I'm wearing a watch that isn't working). Croatian saying: "As precise as a Swiss watch" describes a punctual person, someone who is always on time, and our watchmakers always are. The rain may be stopped, but the wind started to blow harder, I could feel it breezing down my face. I stopped by the watchmaker's shop called Omega to hide from the wind and to get my batteries changed. The four master watchmakers working there are the proud owners of Croatian and Swiss certificates. Much like the case with a lot of other crafts, the owner's daughter is also one of the master watchmakers who will continue the business after her father, the owner of the shop, retires.
Photo Credit: Zagreb Crafts: Sanjin Strukic/Pixsell(Kobali hat shop)
The watch is working like a charm now, and my crafty expedition may go on. My head was already turned in the direction of the next craft. "My head," I thought at that moment as I was passing by some displays that had mirrors inside. The wind really messed up my hairdo. I looked funny. But what should I do? I got a haircut just recently. The wind's still blowing. I know, I'm going into the Octagon. No wind here. But one thing is here, and that's Kobali hat shop. A hatmaker shop opened in 1975 but with a hundred years-long tradition. "Did you know that we designed the caps worn by the Croatian army officers?", The lady proudly said to me during the conversation about the hats and the shop. The hats in there were amazing. All kinds of shapes, sizes, and colors. "Am I a hat person? I never wore one", I doubted. "They look a bit weird on me, but I might get used to it", my thoughts conflicted. "If I am to choose one, which one? I shall think about it some more".
Photo Credit: Zagreb Crafts: Sanjin Strukic/Pixsell(Kobali hat shop)
The end of my tour around Zagreb center and craftsman stores was approaching. I heard a lot of exciting things today, and I might say I learned a thing or two about how some everyday items were produced before there were factories and other modern-world wonders. Stepping into a tram on my way home I concluded: "When buying a product of a craftsman, you're not just buying the object, you're buying some history and story as well."
Header Image Credit:Thomislav Cerovečki/Cerovečki Umbrellas
Author: Tibor Trupec