These changes did not happen too quickly or too noticeably. There was a shock period in the beginning, but then everything went pretty smoothly. There used to be a store with a traditional assortment, and then suddenly it closed, and something else came along after the renovation. The general focus usually remained similar. Instead of a grocery store, there might be vegetable counters, instead of a fabric store, a ready-to-wear store... in general, it's pretty much the same as it was. But not quite.
If you look around once and compare the big picture, you realize that there are almost no old stores left. The stores you used to go to when you were a kid with your parents. Or the stores you first went alone on your mother's orders, clutching a paper bill in the palm of your hand. Or the ones where you and your classmates used to buy lemonade and candy.
It was one of those old stores. It wasn't in the part of town where I lived, so I rarely went there. But still, sometimes I would stop in to get something good if I was in the neighborhood on business. I used to buy shortbread cookies here - very tasty, with natural butter, pastries for tea, and sometimes something else.
The grocery store at the corner of Nekrasov and Mayakovsky Streets began operating in the 1920s, and over the hundred years of its existence it has become a familiar part of the city environment. But last spring the media published articles stating that it was going to be closed. After several articles it seemed as if the decision to close was reversed, and the store continued its work. But this extra period of work did not last long. A few months later, the store management still made the final announcement of closure. After the renovation, a standard supermarket appeared in that place.
I went to this grocery store before it closed specifically to take pictures as a memento. After the renovation part of the old interior was preserved. I haven't gone in yet to check it out, but I read the reports on social media. The chandeliers remained in place, and the flooring was also preserved. But the tall wooden counters were gone along with the general atmosphere of the old grocery store. Although, I think if you add a little imagination, you can still imagine what this store looked like not so long ago.
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| Smartphone | Google Pixel 3a |
| Location | Saint Petersburg, Russia |
This is my entry for the #marketfriday challenge by @dswigle.