Textile machinery falls silent in İzmir
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Doğan News Agency
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Nisan 17, 2009 00:00
İZMİR - İzmir’s textile and fashion industry is one of the spots hardest hit by the economic crisis, which continues to force more businesses to shut their doors day after day.
The textile machines at fashion manufacturers in İzmir’s Mimar Kemallettin district now stand silent. Because of the economic crisis, many stores have closed and the number of businesses shuttering is rising rapidly. Landlords have put up "For Rent" signs on the windows of their ateliers.
Ömer Çakır, a craftsman in the textile center, said the situation was better in the manufacturing shop that was located in a basement, where he was before he started working at Mimar Kemalettin fashion center.
No new renters
"Many stores around here are closed, and many change hands. The stores that are empty because of the crisis are having a hard time finding new renters," he said. "Those that are rented are facing closure after a few months. I sold the four cars that I was doing my business with. I am taking the bus to the workshop now."
Mentioning that business stopped in a heartbeat when the crisis started hitting Turkey, Tahsin Karaaslan said they were expecting things to get better after the March 29 local elections, but, he said, there is no support for small businesses. Karaaslan had 13 employees working for him but now has only three.
"We can’t even receive the money for what we have produced," Karaaslan said. "There are victims of credit cards, but Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan thinks that suffering from credit card debt is not a big issue. He should come and see what we are going through. Maybe then he will understand."
Ömer Çakır, a craftsman in the textile center, said the situation was better in the manufacturing shop that was located in a basement, where he was before he started working at Mimar Kemalettin fashion center.
No new renters
"Many stores around here are closed, and many change hands. The stores that are empty because of the crisis are having a hard time finding new renters," he said. "Those that are rented are facing closure after a few months. I sold the four cars that I was doing my business with. I am taking the bus to the workshop now."
Mentioning that business stopped in a heartbeat when the crisis started hitting Turkey, Tahsin Karaaslan said they were expecting things to get better after the March 29 local elections, but, he said, there is no support for small businesses. Karaaslan had 13 employees working for him but now has only three.
"We can’t even receive the money for what we have produced," Karaaslan said. "There are victims of credit cards, but Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan thinks that suffering from credit card debt is not a big issue. He should come and see what we are going through. Maybe then he will understand."