A 50-year-old cologne maker keeps his profession alive in his 15-square-meter shop
Despite the abundance of perfumes and colognes on the market, Çakay, who still continues to make colognes, welcomes customers in his 15-square-meter shop.
Çakay, who said that he has a wide variety of cologne in his shop and that he has been doing this job with pleasure for 50 years, made the following statement:
I've been doing this job for about 50 years. For years, I've had the most varieties in Edirne. I'm trying to keep it going as long as I can. I've been filling cologne for 50 years. I was originally an apprentice at the shop, but I went into the military in 1966. Upon my return, I took over the shop again. We initially sold detergent, but that era ended, and supermarkets opened. So, we started selling cologne as a variety in 1975. We've never stopped since then.
Çakay noted that refilled cologne is particularly popular among those over a certain age. "Young people, in particular, buy pre-filled cologne," he said. "But those over a certain age continue to buy refilled cologne by the bottle. This way, it's more advantageous for them in terms of price. In fact, I can say that those who appreciate it still come. We offer ready-made varieties like white lily, black rose, scented tobacco, lily, lavender, hazel, and black rose. Refilled cologne varieties include lily, lemon, tobacco, and olive. The most popular one is lemon cologne. So, we offer four different varieties."
Çakay, explaining that his business volume has decreased compared to the past, said, "No one else in Edirne is filling cologne except me. People who come here are naturally surprised when they see the bottles filled. Sales are lower than they used to be. In the past, we used to bring it in by truck. Now, I only bring in two or three boxes. Because prices have increased, there's not as much demand as before. The cologne we used to sell for 20-30 lira is now up to 100 lira."
Çakay explained that some people prefer cologne due to the high cost of perfumes, saying, "In the past, only lemon cologne was available. Now there are many different kinds of cologne. It's impossible to keep up with them, so I bring 6-7 of the most popular ones. Since perfumes are expensive, many people prefer scented colognes. The most popular colognes are black rose, lily, and hazel. They buy these instead of perfume. I personally use cologne instead of perfume."
ntv
