‘It’s been a symbol of the city’: famous Moscow grocery store shuts its doors for the last time due to pandemic
- The Yeliseyevsky Store, renowned for its grand interior and rich history, will close its doors for good on April 11
- Despite once having a steady stream of tourists, numbers dwindled severely during the coronavirus crisis
A historic grocery store in central Moscow is to close its doors after trading for more than 100 years due to legal issues and a drop in tourism caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Opened at the turn of the 20th century, Yeliseyevsky Store is known for its palatial, neo-baroque interior and wide selection of gourmet foods and souvenirs. But the shelves – usually filled with fresh fruit, fine spirits and traditional Russian ornaments – have been empty in recent days since the announcement that the shop would close on April 11.
“It wasn’t just a place to drop by and buy some food,” Muscovite Yelena Bakhtina said, as she shopped at Yeliseyevsky. “It has been a symbol of the city. I used to come here to admire the interiors. It’s a pity we won’t have this any more.”
Located on Tverskaya Street, a thoroughfare crossing the heart of the Russian capital, the store used to draw a steady stream of tourists, but their numbers have dwindled severely because of the pandemic.
During the Soviet era, the store was known as Gastronom No. 1 and sold a wide selection of goods despite food shortages.