Turkish collectors expand personal hobbies into museums and global businesses

In Turkey, two distinct collectors are turning personal passions into specialized businesses and museums.

In Bursa, Bilal Acar and restoration expert Ahmet Canbaz have built a collection of 16 vintage public transport vehicles. Starting with a single bus restored four to five years ago, the collection aims to preserve Turkey’s transportation history from the 1950s and 1960s. The restoration process is intensive, often taking one to two years per vehicle, and requires sourcing original parts from domestic and international markets, including Germany. Plans are underway to establish a dedicated museum and workshop on a three-acre site in İzmit.

In Antakya, Sedat Çam has developed a global e-commerce business centered on natural stones. After a fall in 2016 sparked an interest in geology, Çam began collecting various minerals. He now maintains a collection of approximately 15,000 stones across 250 species, including amethyst, citrine, and obsidian, housed in a workshop converted from his home rooftop. Çam sources stones from Turkey as well as India, Pakistan, China, and Japan, emphasizing a chemical-free cleaning process for his inventory.