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A distinct shoeshine parlor in Istanbul\u2019s Beyo\u011flu district, Havai Lostra hosts people from all ranks of life with sincere conservations. The parlor is run by a \u2018tough sister,\u2019 changing the perceptions that shining shoes is solely a male occupation<\/p>\n
Shoeshining requires manpower, yet it is undervalued, says Seher \u00d6renler. DAILY NEWS photo, Emrah G\u00dcREL<\/p>\n
Havai Lostra, an authentic shoeshine parlor founded in 1951 in Istanbul\u2019s Beyo\u011flu district, is run by a woman who keeps up the parlor tradition while challenging the idea that shining shoes is a man\u2019s business.<\/p>\n
Seher \u00d6renler, who inherited the business after her father passed away 10 years ago, is a \u201ctough sister\u201d to whom customers show respect and courtesy. She stands out for her unique style, with short hair and jeans but delicate accessories.<\/p>\n
\u201cCustomers entering the shop were surprised to see me at first, but they took it kindly over time,\u201d said \u00d6renler. She said before taking over the business she used to be a housewife.<\/p>\n
\u00d6renler said women should not hesitate to enter male-dominated occupations, as every job can be accomplished once it is truly loved. \u00d6renler said those who approached her with prejudice in the past are proud of her success now.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor a while, my brother ran the business. After seeing that the business was flourishing better with me, he left it in my hands,\u201d said \u00d6renler, adding that a woman\u2019s touch can change an atmosphere positively.<\/p>\n
According to \u00d6renler, a high platform where customers can sit is a must at Havai Lostra. They use a variety of horsehair brushes and colorful paints delicately produced in their workshop.<\/p>\n
The parlor\u2019s comfortable high seats, outfitted with yellow brass, face the shoeshine men, who display their skills by knocking their brush once at the counter before shining the shoes.<\/p>\n
\u201cShoe-shining requires manpower, yet it is undervalued. We have two or three steps and polish the shoe until the surface absorbs the varnish,\u201d said \u00d6renler. She criticized the usage of ready-mixed shoeshine sold at the supermarkets.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, the shift to made-in-China shoes impedes the shoeshine sector, as the number of people getting their shoe heels repaired has substantially diminished, said \u00d6renler. She said society has become extravagant by adopting a disposable mentality.<\/p>\n
Her father\u2019s beloved girl, \u00d6renler is one of the few people left fighting to keep the \u201clostra\u201d tradition alive in Istanbul. Saddened that the young generation does not know the meaning of lostra, or shoe-maintenance shop, \u00d6renler is determined to introduce this cultural element to the masses.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe took part in the Ramadan cultural festival organized at Taksim Square by the Beyo\u011flu Municipality, building a sample lostra to draw the interest of young people,\u201d said \u00d6renler.<\/p>\n
The customer portfolio of Havai Lostra ranges from rich to poor. The lostra\u2019s sincere atmosphere, reasonable prices and landmark status play a role in why people choose Havai, which became famous for its jingle: \u201cOhooo! Have you gotten new shoes? No, I\u2019ve shined them at Havai Lostra.\u201d<\/p>\n
Among the shop\u2019s frequenters are prominent artists, businessmen and ministers; these people coming to the lostra always cherish the old memory of Beyo\u011flu by wearing suits just as people used to walk in Beyo\u011flu in the past, \u00d6renler said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe graduates of Galatasaray High School from the generation of the \u201950s always stop by our shop after celebrating their reunion every year,\u201d said \u00d6renler, highlighting that Havai Lostra is an indispensable meeting point for many people.<\/p>\n
Kemal Akda\u011f, a 30-year-old shoeshine man working at Havai Lostra whose fingers were stained black, said the business of shining shoes is traditionally a trade of the Roma people. Criticizing the so-called shoe-shiners on the streets who go into the business due to unemployment, Akda\u011f said most of them don\u2019t even know how to swing their brushes properly.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe mobile shoeshine boy cannot do justice to shoe-shining as he doesn\u2019t have the strength to swing his brush,\u201d said Akda\u011f, raising his thick voice in anger.<\/p>\n
On the other hand, Akda\u011f said the mood at Havia Lostra is often cheerful because as Roma people they love to sing and dance while performing their jobs. \u201cThe beat of music does not leave here,\u201d Akda\u011f said, adding that this is a unique trait of their \u201cfun\u201d lostra.<\/p>\n
via Womanly touch keeps Istanbul shoeshine parlor alive – Hurriyet Daily News and Economic Review.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A distinct shoeshine parlor in Istanbul\u2019s Beyo\u011flu district, Havai Lostra hosts people from all ranks of life with sincere conservations. The parlor is run by a \u2018tough sister,\u2019 changing the perceptions that shining shoes is solely a male occupation Shoeshining requires manpower, yet it is undervalued, says Seher \u00d6renler. DAILY NEWS photo, Emrah G\u00dcREL Havai […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":83,"featured_media":25627,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[89],"tags":[4273,102,4272],"class_list":["post-25625","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-turkey","tag-havai-lostra","tag-istanbul","tag-lostra"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25625","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/83"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25625"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25625\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25627"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25625"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25625"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25625"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}