A shopkeeper in northern Türkiye's Giresun, with a passion for antique items, has turned his store into a virtual museum, displaying over a thousand old objects, including century-old pocket watches.
Murat Akyazıcı, 53, who owns a bridal shop in the historic Grand Bazaar, developed an interest in antiques during his youth. He started with stamp collecting and, as his enthusiasm grew, amassed over a thousand items. Faced with a lack of space, Akyazıcı dedicated one floor of his multilevel store to display his collection, attracting customers interested in these historical pieces.
Akyazıcı installed custom-made shelves throughout the store to showcase over a thousand antiques, such as pocket watches, pendulum wall clocks, wristwatches, cameras, radios, record players, knives, prayer beads, sewing machines, oil lamps, video players, cameras, and scissors, effectively transforming his shop into a museum. The century-old pocket watches are particularly noteworthy, drawing significant attention from visitors.
Akyazıcı explained that his interest in antiques began with stamp collecting and grew over time. "These items in the display are steeped in history. This has become an obsession for me," he said.
"I've dedicated a floor of the multilevel store to these items. I take great care of each one, and they all work as if they were brand-new. No non-functional item is displayed here. I collect these purely out of interest and passion, and none of them are for sale," Akyazıcı added.
"Visitors feel like they are traveling back in time. Although many people are unaware of this place, those who do know it make a point to visit. Our oldest item is a 100-year-old pocket watch, but I also have century-old pieces among the other antiques," he noted.
In addition to the antiques, Akyazıcı’s collection includes historical documents and photographs. "This shop, inherited from my grandfather to my father and then to me, has a century-old story. Although it has modernized from a wooden structure with a zinc exterior to its current form, I have always tried to preserve the traces of history," Akyazıcı said.
"One notable item is a Commercial Guide published in the 1940s in Türkiye, and I still have the address listed in that guide. I also have checks and promissory notes from the Ottoman Bank as part of my collection. Additionally, there are photos of my father and uncle attending the trials of (former Prime Minister) Adnan Menderes," he added.
