In 1901, the newly opened Eliseevskiy store amazed Muscovites with its rich and exotic product mix.
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The glitz of the new grocery, sited in a historic 18th century building on Tverskaya Street in central Moscow, embodied the might of the Eliseev trading empire.
Credit:Wikipedia.org
Eliseev’s grandfather Pyotr, a former serf, started a business in 1813 selling oranges on the street. //Fruit department, 1913
Credit:Wikipedia.org
By the 1820s he already operated a network of grocery stores and wineries.//Supervisor's office, 1913
Credit:RIA Novosti
The Eliseyevsky store was a firm favorite among the Russian nobility for its wines imported from Portugal, Spain and France, not to mention the exotic fruit and exquisite cheese.
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In Soviet times Eliseevskiy was renamed Gastronom №1 and sold delicatessen products — a rare exception a time of constant shortages. In the hungry 1930s it was the only place in the USSR that sold pineapples. //A view of Tverskaya street in the 1930s
Credit:Lori/Legion Media
Alongside GUM, today Eliseevskiy is one of the Russian capital's most prestigious historical centers of commerce. Eliseev Emporium in St. Petersburg opened in 1903 — just two years after its Moscow cousin.
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The store took up residence in one of the majestic empire-style buildings on Nevsky Prospect.
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The shop attracted numerous onlookers who just gazed at its finery.
Credit: Gnesener1900/Wikipedia.org
In 1917 Grigory Eliseev lost his business when the Bolsheviks nationalized it. He flew to Paris, where he died in 1949.
Credit: Lori/Legion Media
The new-look Eliseevskiy Emporium in St. Petersburg has been open since 2012. Its renovated interior resembles the original splendor of the early 20th century.
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