The old man is named Alexandru Amariei and he is the definition of kindness. He insists you come inside for a glass of wine. When he realized that you are a foreigner, he wouldn't accept "no" for an answer.

He keeps asking if you have visited the mall. You sense some sorrow in his voice.

Asking him why he is so interested in the mall in the city, you find out he used to work in the factory that stood on the land which now holds a mall.

Alexandru Amariei - 80

Worked all his life as a shoe-maker at the Partizanul factory in town. He retired when he was 65 for a small pension. He's lived all his life in Filipesti, making the one hour trip to the city every morning for more than 30 years.

The factory was his life, and he told me how sad he was when he heard it was demolished.