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Chapter 4, page 5

Tantz_Aerine

on Feb. 25, 2016

Finally an update!

The main black market was situated in Panepistimiou avenue, very near Syntagma square in the center of Athens, in this magnificent building (basically a shopping mall) that still exists today, with a commemorative plaque about its grim history. It has a beautiful glass ceiling gallery leading to Stadiou avenue and several different small room-like stores.

Black marketers had ‘double fronts’ so to speak: they had tables outside their stores where they sold their poorest quality merchandise (usually spoilt food) at the legal prices, and inside they had the better quality merchandise that they sold at exorbitant prices, taking advantage of the famine rampant in Athens at the time.

…and here’s Diomedes! And Stelios! Some answers provided finally right? Bet some of you had guessed it though.

Also, for the history buffs, or fellow Greeks, you might recognise the tribute to some pretty famous photos (of the rare few) of black marketers at work.