January the 24th, 2022 - Koogle blown glass from an area of Zagreb called Gornji Stenjevec is making a comeback. This old family craft which was once one of very many dotted all over the capital, from shoe repairs to key cutters, is returning in the digital era, and taking full advantage of that.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Lucija Spiljak writes, once upon a time, the City of Zagreb was a city full of crafts, where everyone could sew trousers and make tailor-made shoes with guaranteed quality. Today, we're sadly witnessing more and more padlocks being forever placed on the doors of the once esteemed crafts. That said, some are still resisting these harsh, new times of mass production.

Among them is Koogle blown glass, a trade for the production of blown glass items in Gornji Stenjevac in Zagreb. It is a family glass-blowing craft which is almost 60 years old, run by Martina Simunkovic. It used to be a glass-blowing oasis, where, after the Second World War came to an end, about 200 households worked for a cooperative that would buy their products and place them on the market.

However, when it was extinguished not so longer after in the 1950s, the same fate befell the small workshops. Martina's grandfather was among the last to continue his work, and eventually, he was the only remaining one. In addition to glassblowing, in the late 70's and 80's, he also introduced machines for the production of ground plastic items.

The business was then taken on and continued by his son, Martina’s father, and back in 2014 she brought the craft back to life, as the third generation of glassblowers in the family. Today, she makes various decorations using the technique of heating a hollow glass tube and blowing air out of her mouth.

By profession a historian, artist and ethnologist, she previously worked as the head of the Department for the Protection of Intangible Cultural Heritage at the Ministry of Culture.

“Art historians and ethnologists are always attracted by passion and hunger for beauty, and glass is an ideal medium where as a creative, I can express myself and make an object not only interesting to me, but something I'd would buy myself. For the last 15 years, our craft has been ''asleep'', so to speak. With the advent of large shopping centres and retail chains, the need for handmade products has sadly disappeared; there's now mass production and it's all imported and in other forms. We couldn't compete with that, so my father closed the business down,'' Simunkovic revealed.

Back when she worked in the aforementioned ministry, she was aware of the value of traditional crafts, but also how endangered and unstable the micro market is. However, she noted that customer interest in handmade items was beginning to return.

"Decorative items don't really have an essential function, people buy them for details and aesthetics. I realised that customers were starting to turn more to these products and that there were more and more small family stores out there on the market that started offering these items from local workshops. That's where i saw an opportunity to revitalise the Koogle glass blowing family business I grew up with, which would also satisfy my desire for creativity. I suggested to my father that we see how the market goes, and he was delighted when he pulled out some glass after a long time, quickly remembered everything and returning to his old routine. He taught me all of the techniques, and then in 2014, the story began again.

We've adapted to the market and to the wishes of our customers, but the backbone of our craft has remained the same - minimalism in decoration and natural and ecological materials. There are few of us glassblowers who make hollow blown glass products and decorations related to seasonal periods. Mine were exclusively Christmas decorations. It was hyperproduction, the whole family was involved, along with some outside glass blowers. The market was the former Yugoslavia, and some was exported elsewhere. We had enough customers considering the production capacity, a series of 100,000 pieces. We were based primarily on and around Christmas. At the end of the year, we had to sell what we'd produced throughout the year,'' Martina recalls.

Today, the largest concentration of Koogle blown glass' production is set aside for Christmas decorations, because that particular festive period is the most commercially viable for it. Considering that so far everything in the trade is done within it, their capacity is smaller, but they do try their best to cover the seasonal demand. Martina therefore decided to supplement the assortment, so she has different decorations for Easter as well.

The Koogle blown glass team also offers terrariums where plants can be grown, and Martina even joined the O2 Project, which aimed to raise awareness about forest conservation, and her creations proved to be the ideal incubators for seed growth and development. Today, her products are ordered by private individuals, but more and more, she says, she notices that companies need them at the time of giving gifts to their employees, partners and clients, with numerous inquiries for personalised gifts.

There is interest from outside of Croatia and the former Yugoslavia as well, and she is currently in negotiations with the European Entrepreneurship Network run by the Science and Technology Park of the University of Rijeka, which would connect her with potential associates and clients outside of Croatia and its immediate region.

For more, check out Made in Croatia.

September 29, 2020 - People often come up with original ideas, but this one certainly steals the show: you can now return to the past with Zagreb Vintage Photo Souvenir.

As 24sata.hr reports, their idea started primarily as a tourist offer for visitors to the city of Zagreb, who wanted to offer a touch of old Zagreb from the time of Marija Juric Zagorka.

In Tkalciceva 7, time returns without any problems. There is a small but cute vintage studio, Vintage Photo Souvenir, where the owners, Dino and Andrea Gulic, and their lovely worker Marija, transform and photograph you in the style of the last century.

"Vintage photo souvenir is a combination of love for Zagreb, history and, above all, authentic costumes with which you can dive into the past and create a dear memory with family or dear friends," said Dino and Andrea.

The studio opened in June last year, and when you walk inside, you feel like you’ve stepped into the past. From antique dresses, hats, and gloves to fans, umbrellas, and music that completes your experience. As Dino and Andrea say, the trips inspired them the most.

"While traveling, we had the opportunity to experience such a similar experience. Almost every European metropolis has one such photo studio where users can dive into the past and find themselves in a different time for a moment. We thought that our Zagreb deserves such an attraction," they said.

Their idea started primarily as a tourist offer for visitors to Zagreb, to whom they wanted to offer a touch of old Zagreb and from the time of Marija Juric Zagorka and characters from her novels.

"We are extremely pleased with the good response of locals who want to give themselves and others something different and unusual. All generations are coming - the youngest client was eight months old, and the oldest 85. There is great interest from young couples who give each other romance photography for a birthday or wedding anniversary, and there are more and more inquiries about bachelorette parties and collaborations for vintage-style wedding invitations, ” said Dino and Andrea.

Dino leads the technical side of things in the studio; the creative part that deals with decoration and costumes is organized by his wife Andrea, and on the first line in contact with clients is their worker, the always in a good mood Marija.

In the studio, you have the right to choose the desired dress, and if in the sea of beautiful costumes you do not know what to choose, they will be delighted to help and advise you.

"Every client who comes to Vintage Photo Studio first starts choosing clothes in which they want to be photographed. There are about 20 costumes from various historical periods and, of course, in various sizes. The clothes are simply tailored, with rubber bands or velcro, to wear them over your own clothes, so it is unnecessary to take them off. "All options are possible, clients choose themselves, but there is also Marija, who is very happy to help with her experience and advice so that clients can easily choose a costume that will meet their expectations," said Dino and Andrea.

Of course, it all depends on the wishes of the clients, and the scene sets up very quickly, within minutes. The whole process of dressing, posing and taking a photo takes about 30 minutes.

Most of the costumes were sewn by their friend, the designer Nikolina Ribarić, and some came from England and America. In some cases, the props were bought at antique fairs and were also gifts from satisfied customers.

"At the beginning, we focused primarily on the period of Marija Juric Zagorka, so the first dresses were made. There are also dresses with inserts in the form of a pillow placed on the back so that the dress protrudes. Since the girls were interested in other periods, we later expanded the range and started with crinolines and historical figures. We combined the costume of Francis Joseph and Empress Sisi. Some original details were added to his costume, such as original Austro-Hungarian medals," said Andrea.

“One of the more sought-after dresses is the dress we procured from the street closet, but since it’s an original from the old days, it’s size XS,” Andrea says.

The next dress sought is from America and is worn on a six-reel crinoline. She is more inspired by the American Civil War period as in the series ‘North and South’, the films ‘Gone with the Wind’ and similar.

You will receive the photos as a souvenir, and you can also get them by e-mail. Prices depend on the number of people who come for the photoshoot, and the cost of one photo with one A4 person in the passe-partout is 150 kuna, and up to 350 kuna for more people.

"Photo Session clients often give us as a surprise gift, so the most demanding person is the one who doesn't know what to expect and pleasantly surprise. We are happy that so far, all the reactions have been positive. We are no luckier than clients' satisfied faces when they see themselves in crinolines and costumes and finally enjoy their vintage photography," said Dino and Andrea.

For the future, they say, they continue on the path they set out on and hope to strengthen the tourist season in the city of Zagreb again.

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Check out gingerbreads, licitar hearts and other original Zagreb souvenirs at Zagreb Souvenir Fair on Jelačić Square.

One of the most recognizable souvenirs of Zagreb is the Šestine umbrella