Slovenia's umbrella doctor weathers the economic storm
The Peninsula
Ljubljana: While most people believe a malfunctioning umbrella means you have to buy a new one, Slovenian Marija Lah one of Europe s last umbrella...
Ljubljana: While most people believe a malfunctioning umbrella means you have to buy a new one, Slovenian Marija Lah -- one of Europe's last umbrella repairers -- has spent her life proving them wrong.
"Everything can be repaired! I believe I can repair 98 percent of all the umbrellas I get," the 56-year-old laughs, waving around a 50-year-old model to demonstrate its quality.
While most umbrella repairers have closed shop as millions of broken, cheap umbrellas are tossed out each year around the world, Lah is catering to a growing base of new customers who try to throw away less due to environmental concerns.
"It is a fashionable thing now," she told AFP in her shop packed with umbrellas, an old sewing machine and thousands of different spare parts, including ribs, caps and wires piled on shelves.
Reluctant apprentice
