Simplify the following text for a Grade 11 native English-speaking person.
Original: Crafts experienced a surprising expansion , and there were around 15 guilds active in the town ; the bootmaker and the most famous furrier guild were the ones to survive for the longest time .
Simplified: Crafts were very successful , and there were around 15 guilds in the town ; the bootmaker and the most famous furrier guild existed for the longest time .