THIS IS AN ARCHIVE POST FROM 2015
In August 2014, I was invited to be part of Telekom’s campaign introducing interesting businesses and entrepreneurs. As part of the campaign, they made a short video about me, which I also wrote about on my blog. RTL Klub (one of Hungary’s major television channels) then aired the ad throughout October.
This is where I met Enikő Marton and Zoltán Marton, who were the filmmakers behind the video. We clicked immediately when we first met, and spending the filming day together brought us even closer. At the end of August, I mentioned that I had rented two commercial spaces. I wanted to use one for Virivee, and I had an idea for the other one: a shop selling Hungarian design and handmade products.
The problem was that, on my own, I simply didn’t have the energy or the money to take on another project.
They immediately said they would love to become my partners. They had already been thinking for a while that they would like to explore something outside filmmaking, and they really liked the idea of the shop.
So in September, we sat down together, worked everything through, set up a company, and started renovating the space. It was in pretty bad condition, so naturally the renovation took longer than expected. Then we ran straight into the Christmas rush, so we decided to postpone the opening until spring. We felt there was very little point in opening during the first few months of the year anyway.
The shop is right in the middle of Budapest’s famous nightlife district, directly next to the entrance to Gozsdu Courtyard, one of the area’s best-known spots.
Our idea is to create a design and handmade goods shop that feels like a little cultural island in the middle of the nightlife district. We don’t want it to be just a shop where you walk in, buy something and leave. We want visitors to be able to learn more about the products and the people who create them than they normally would in an average store.
We don’t just want to sell these fantastic products. We want to introduce them properly, tell people about them, and help them get to know the designers and makers behind them.
At the moment, we only have a handful of designers, but we would like to bring in more. We also don’t want to fill the shop to the point where everything is crammed together. The selection will gradually grow over the coming weeks.
Our current designers and makers
- Réka Somogyi – clothes and cushions
- Zsolt Gyarmati – paintings
- Áron Nagy – graphic art and prints
- Andrea Keserű – jewellery and bags
- Eszter Újhelyi – silk scarves
- Nebouxii – socks
- Absoloot – notebooks and journals
- Brigi Bányai – jewellery
- Naiica – necklaces
- Zsombor Kiss – wooden bicycle accessories
- Tünde Pallagi – jewellery and T-shirts
DrumDrum Design
1072 Budapest, Dob utca 14, next to Gozsdu Courtyard
Opening hours: Monday–Saturday, 12:00–19:00
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Finally, the Virivee tights shop is open!
