But there are other cases where the son or daughter may pick up the mantle. Pierre Guillebeaud, a blacksmith in Bordeaux told Antaki that his son, Charly, has ‘inherited my passion for the trade,’ has worked with him for ten years, and will take over the workshop after he retires. Guillebeaud, who works in churches and castles and does restoration, said that he started as an apprentice when he was 15, and has worked as a blacksmith for more than 50 years, according to the book.
Charles Neri, who has owned an antique shop in Philadelphia for over 40 years, told Antaki that he hope his daughter Cindy runs the store after he gone.
And there are people like Lorena Agolli, the owner of an all-female cobbler shop called Sole Survivor in Toronto. Juliette Trolio is the longtime owner of Rix Rax, a haberdashery in Montreal where one can find ‘beautiful buttons, trimmings, lace, belt buckles, silk flowers, feathers or ribbons,’ according to the book.
Since Antaki started in 2012, he said he has kept in touch with the many of the shopkeepers. Some have since passed away and some of the shops have shuttered. He spent six years and visited ‘over two hundred shopkeepers in twenty cities’ for the book, which is published by Kehrer Verlag and features 45 portraits.
Antaki told DailyMail.com that he continues to work on the series, saying, ‘Every time I visit a new city, I have my camera with me.’
The photos will be part of an upcoming exhibition at the Blue Sky Gallery in Portland, Oregon, starting May 2.
‘I want people to understand that even if it looks different, even if it’s not the type of place where you would usually go, give it a try sometime.’