From Trainee to Millionaire (in Hangers)
SILVIA BICHLER AND CORNELIA KAISER HAVE MADE CAREERS WITH US. And at the very beginning, as trainees, they also met Ida Wagner, the wife of our founder Martin Wagner.
What's the deal with this huge safe?
Cornelia Kaiser: Mrs Wagner used to keep her jewellery ther Quite a lot of big jewellery. The employees' wages used to be in there too – in cash …
Silvia Bichler: One morning we came into the office when we were still apprentices and thought: ‘What kind of a mess is this?!’ Thieves had rummaged through the offices looking for the key to the safe, and then they broke it open! Since then, half of MAWA has been registered with the police, including fingerprints (laughs)! Both I and the safe are still there today – I, because I feel comfortable here; the safe, because it is too heavy and big to be taken out of the building.
How did you experience Ida Wagner?
Cornelia Kaiser: When we were apprentices, she was already a good 80 years old – but still on her toes: she could juggle six-digit numbers easily in her head. In the morning we always had to get a pretzel and the daily newspaper - nothing worked without this ritual. And on good days we were even allowed to keep the 10 Pfennig leftover (laughs). Mrs Wagner often sat barefoot in the office because she was at the cosmetics and the nail varnish still had to dry.
Silvia Bichler: She was very sociable, always pitched in. It has always been very friendly and familiar here, and we were accepted into the family. Even our customers visit each other: the customer from Norway visits the one from Japan. And at the fair, our Belgian customer brings us chocolates, and the one from Holland brings us Gouda.
Cornelia Kaiser: The different mentalities of our customers are just great. From Japan, China, Korea, Taiwan, Kuwait, Tunisia, Morocco, Panama, Chile, Uruguay … I also know many of my customers' children. One of them keeps telling me the story of when he and his family were passing through on their way to Italy: we went to a beer garden, then I took his 10-year-old son for a drive in my cabriolet, a BMW Z4. The son still talks about it today. We also went shopping for Bavarian Leather Trousers with a customer from Japan, then to the training of FC Bayern München, then to Neuschwanstein Castle – all in one day!
On your travels, you must experience a lot of things?
Cornelia Kaiser: Oh yes, I always send pictures to my colleagues. Recently I was finally able to go to Tokyo again with Michaela Schenk. The client took us shopping for an original kimono, led us through the city in a rickshaw and then took us to a traditional Japanese restaurant to eat on the floor.
Thank you so much Cornelia and Silvia for your amazing MAWA Love-Story!