On the Rotunda open market

‘Ninety-seven’ magazine published thirteen issues over the years 1996 and 1997, with the last issue coming out on 31/12/1997 and marking the end of its publication, since the end of the year also marked the end of Thessaloniki’s term as the 1997 cultural capital of Europe. Every month, the magazine covered aspects of the city’s everyday life and cultural events. It promoted the cultural programme and all other activities taking place under the aegis of the organisation ‘Thessaloniki Cultural Capital of Europe 1997’, while also publishing interviews and opinion pieces by intellectuals from Greece and abroad.

The issue presented here chronicles aspects of everyday life through the open markets operating weekly in the city’s historic centre not only in 1997, when Thessaloniki was the cultural capital of Europe, but also throughout most of the 1990s. To a certain extent, the images and the accompanying article reflect the informal nature of the commercial operation set up by the sellers who participated in these bazaars, usually without any sort of official permit. At the Rotunda bazaar, sellers from countries of the former USSR or the Balkans were a common presence. These newly-arrived migrants would often spread out a sheet and display items for sale brought to Greece from their places of origin.

‘Ninety-Seven’ magazine mentions caviar, vodka, old cameras from Eastern Europe, even household items that were either no longer necessary or had to be sold in order to make some money. Carpets and cookware were the most commonly sold items at the large open market of Rotunda. The phrase ‘I have tights so tight you can’t take them off’, shouted by sellers to tout their merchandise, was commonly used among friends visiting the area of the Rotunda to buy foodstuff and clothing. However, the Rotunda open market was soon dismantled. Ironically, it was probably due to its great success that the market was prevented from operating, since it was driving foot traffic away from the retail stores in the city’s historic centre.

In the same issue, ‘Ninety-Seven’ magazine gives a brief description of the second-hand market around Bit Pazar [see also EKT015] and mentions the makeshift stalls inside the local university campus. Despite CDs having entered the market, this is still the golden era of the cassette, with tapes being the cheapest option for younger people who wanted to own music recordings. Used books were sold on Aristotelous Street, while fridges, doors and shutters were sold in Nea Elvetia.

Since 1997, most of these open markets have stopped operating or have moved to different parts of the city, but the world of open markets seems to have no limits, constantly mutating into something new and thus illuminating the transformations within our own societies.