I, Stoyan, was born on 25 February 1916 in the family of
Bozhana and Atanas, Kruchmaria. I remember that my father
was running the tavern at the Village Square.
As I was selling southern fruits during the winter, I named my
company Yafa, after the Israeli town of Yafa where my fruits
came from. So this is how Yafata became my nickname.
I met a Turkish man in 1941, who was building a house with a
shop near the Arapovski Bridge. I gave him 200,000 leva to
finish the house, meanwhile I turned the shop into a tavern and
I named it Yafa. I ordered 10 tables, 40 chairs and a bar counter
from the Plovdiv prison. I paid the craftsman 50,000 leva right
away, so he would make me something very special. He used
polished ‘elm’. Such tables and chairs were no where to be
found at that time. In order to supply the tavern with drinks and
appetizers the old man sold his carriage for 100,000 leva.
That’s how the Yafa tavern came to be.
I hired an orchestra. But what a surprise – nobody wanted to
dance. Then I told my wife, Olga, to come at 9 o’clock in the
evening, so she and I would open the dancing. And that happened
every night, once the music started, we stood up and
danced till finally our clients started to dance, even if we were
not there.
I had selected the staff very carefully and I kept telling my
waiters to learn how to work honestly and respectably so the
clients would be pleased, as well as they themselves.
The tavern was doing very well and it was always crowded,
because I never diluted the wine with water. People knew they
could find the drink they wanted to drink and the appetizer they
wanted to eat at my place.
This is what I taught my children and grandchildren.
Now, 60 years later, on my and their behalf.
I can once again say “Welcome!”
