Wearing a white lab coat, screwdriver in hand, Antonio Martinez Rivas inspects a remote control car at his workshop in Madrid, a “toy hospital” that is about to close after 50 years of repairs.
His bespectacled eyes focused on the task at hand, the 70-year-old toy specialist, who will retire on December 31, was hunched over his “operating table” just days before his final session. of his workshop. Christmas.
“Now, they’re going to fix it for me,” he told one customer in a hoarse voice, alluding to his continuing battle with cancer.
Illuminated by neon lights and surrounded by tools and spare parts, his desk sits in a corner of the real Aladdin’s cave, with thousands of shelves packed with colorful toys. from floor to ceiling.
Among them are dolls, teddy bears, board games, wooden horses, etc., all sent by customers from Spain, France, England, Portugal and even as far away as Uruguay.
“We are the only ones who work on all kinds of toys” in Spain, said Rivas, a Madrid native who learned from his father how to repair toys.
Most customers, he says, are “adults who are nostalgic for the things they had as children.”
“Some people say to me: ‘Don’t change it’. And if you want to put new stuff in, they’ll tell you to throw out what’s already there because that’s part of the nature of the toy,” he explains.
David Hinojal, 40, came to pick up an adorable monkey, which squealed when it was squeezed.
“I bought it as a gift for my mother-in-law many years ago and after she passed away we kept it because we loved it so much,” laughs Hinojal, who works in the tourism industry.
Rivas’ father opened a small shop selling handmade toys in 1945 before moving into the repair business after the wave of plastic toys in the 1950s and 60s. He took over the workshop from his father. in the 1970s and working alone, had to deal with the advent of video games that caused interest in traditional toys to wane.
“After many years, you feel a lot of sadness [at closing] because so many customers have become friends,” he admitted, bowing his head.
In gratitude, his friends hung a sign behind the counter that read: “Almost anything for sale – boss won’t let us put a price tag on him.”
