Kiosks of Neapoli….
The Story of the Greek Kiosk (Periptero)
Anyone who has visited Greece will be familiar with the
Periptero, the Greek equivalent of the kiosk. Virtually every
city, town and village has a Periptero and Neapoli is no
exception. As you walk around Neapoli, you will come
across three; one is opposite the Silk garage, the second is at
the end of the main junction into town, next to the BP
garage and our regular kiosk is run by Manos and Maria at
the top of the square.
Unfortunately they are on the verge of disappearing (the
reasons why are discussed later). Here follows a little bit of
history about this much cherished Greek tradition.
Way back in 1911, the first Periptero opened
on Panepistimiou Street in Athens. It seems likely that it
would still be in business today, if the ground beneath it
hadn’t collapsed and swallowed it wholesale in 1997, during
the construction of the Athens underground system. Luckily
the lady who was working in the kiosk got out in the nick of
time.
In the past the kiosks were given by the state to war
veterans without a pension, disabled people or families with
many children as state support. Because they were the
owner’s property, they could be passed down through the
family.
The size of a kiosk is regulated by law to be no bigger than
1.3 by 1.5 metres, has three windows and a door at the back
for access. These little boxes sell newspapers, magazines,
cigarettes (traditionally one of the few places you could buy
tobacco products), snacks, prepaid phone cards, toys and
small gadgets. Around the kiosk are big refrigerators and
freezers, where customers can find drinks and ice cream.
They are usually open for long hours, well into the night and
some even 24/7.
The kiosk is more than just a tiny convenience store. It is the
focal point of the neighbourhood. The owner (the
peripteras) is a hive of information, knows everyone and all
the latest gossip and he or she will provide directions to
places. Anyone looking for a job will often approach the
peripteras in case he or she has heard of any vacancies. In
the past, when people didn’t have phones, it was also the
place where you could make a phone call.
A few years ago, there were approximately 17,500 kiosks in
all of Greece; now there are about 9,000. Of course, like a
lot of other businesses, they were hit hard by the economic
crisis. Some of the items that the kiosk sells were to be
found in the local supermarket at a cheaper price.
Newspapers are becoming a thing of the past since people
are now reading the latest news online. There were 1,080
kiosks in Athens and nearly half of these have closed down.
300 kiosks have been abandoned and local councils are
slowly removing them from the streets. Crete is no
exception and periptero owners are seeing their profits
decrease on a daily basis, resulting in the closure of many.
The Association of Kiosk Owners in Crete estimate that 80%
have closed in the last decade and the future for the rest is
not guaranteed.
Those periptero owners who have survived the recession
were recently dealt a devastating blow by the government
when a new law was passed. This stipulates that once the
owner dies or the license for the kiosk expires, it cannot be
renewed and transferred, as it was in the past, to the next
generation. Sadly this means that many more kiosks will
disappear in the not too distant future. As if this wasn’t
enough, the bill also included another measure, which
allows tobacco products to be sold in other shops. This bill
is the nail in the coffin for this beloved institution.
Kiosk at the top
of Neapoli Main Square
Kiosk on the left as you
turn into Neapoli Main Square
Kiosk oppsosite the
Silk Garage in
Neapoli