Kılçık concept: Handmade and Natural Turkish Gems

• 632 words • 3min read •

Thanks to my wonderful boyfriend, I get the chance to discover Turkey, and more precisely Bodrum. Located in the province of Muğla, in the south-west of Turkey, this flourishing port is framed by the dazzling Aegean Sea.

The history of Bodrum begins around the 13th century BC. J.-C. Even today, Bodrum is an important historical site thanks to its prominent position at the crossroads of several ancient civilizations.

Local craftsmen make handmade and natural products: cotton tablecloths, local basketry, embroidered cushion covers, jewelry, leather and wood works, and hand-painted pottery.

I decided to meet Kılçık Concept store. The owners of the shop are valorizing those handmade Turkish gems. Plus, in their wood workshop, they are designing and producing accessories, jewelry, and wooden pieces.

Interview of kilcik concept store in Bodrum

How did you come to open this shop?

We had the idea to create a place where people can find natural and quality designed products sourced by local materials and techniques.
We strongly believe that people deserve the best quality of life. And this will depend on the quality of the products they buy.
For these reasons, we opened Kılçık Concept ten years ago, in 2008. Our shop is located in Bitez, in the Province of Mugla, not so far away from Bodrum.

What does “Kılçık” mean in Turkish?

Actually, Kılçık means fishbone. We gave this name to our shop because our first design was a home decoration with the shape of fishbones.
In the same time, this name is simple and easy to keep in mind and getting attention from people. And it works!

What kind of products are you offering to your customers?

Our collection includes wooden products such as home decoration and kitchenware.
There is also some textile products like Turkish towels, bath towels, blankets, bed covers.
You will also find ceramics (home decoration, kitchenware, coffee cups, jewelry), and glasses accessories and jewelry.

In the shop, we are designing and producing our own goods. The whole accessories and jewelry collections, as well as the wooden pieces, are made by us, in our workshop.
We also like to highlight local workshops such as Ateliersimi located in Bodrum.

Where do you get your inspiration?

It could be lots of things, traditional designs, and techniques, Bodrum… We are inspired by Nature.

How would you describe your customers?

We have a very wide range of customers. They are people who seek a quality in their lifestyle, who are looking for original and unique pieces.
We like to take the time to discuss with them in the shop, and we try to maintain this relationship via our Instagram account on which we are very active every day.

What do you like the most by managing your own shop?

We love to design and to work in our wood workshop, this is the best part of it.
We also love to source local and high-quality workshops. It is always appreciating by our customers to tell the story behind each of their collections to our customers and exchange about it.
And finally, it is exciting to improve our concept store and ourselves in design every day.

Do you have any advice for young entrepreneurs?

If you want something, you really need to focus on it and never give up. Continue to make your dream real.
You should not focus on money, focus on how you want to live and what you want to do.
If you are not dreaming of holidays while you are working, then you are walking on the right path and you will find happiness!