In 1992, when the iron curtain fell, kiosks appeared in Moscow. They were boxy, aluminum sided units with a door on one side and a glass front. The kiosks appeared on sidewalks, near metro stations and anywhere they could. They were everywhere, they sold everything and I miss them.
The kiosks rapidly spread. Many were set up in rynki (outdoor markets). Permitting was lax, and it showed. Moscow’s metros had a plethora of kiosks. They sold everything from clothes, gifts and food to construction materials and more. The kiosks went forth and multiplied. Quickly, they took over Russian retail almost entirely.
The outdoor markets inhabited by the kiosks quickly became specialized and some of them were massive. Several of these came into existence on Moscow’s outer ring, just beyond the city limits. Others were in the city itself. There were food, construction, electronics and other kinds of markets. Some of the kiosks in the market were square boxes with windows in front. Other outlets were shipping containers or shacks quickly erected. Each could serve as a warehouse and as retail. Often, the products were displayed on a window and the sales staff sat behind a small window or off to one side. Those running the markets made a fortune. When many of the outdoor markets were finally torn down by the Russian government, the outdoor market tycoons built retail outlets and shopping centers in their place. That’s progress.
My wife and I visited one outdoor market in 1995 to find doorknobs and locks while doing some home construction, on a snowy but romantic day. That’s how shopping worked then, by going to a specialized market. Another big market had computers and similar. It still exists, although it is indoor today. For many years, a construction market near our house was a maze of kiosks, small businesses and other sellers doing business in shipping containers. The maze-like roads in the market went on and on for many kilometers. They were mostly one lane allies and people drove on them, passing each other by a few centimeters and finding ingenious ways to navigate. Each purchase involved a negotiation. Everything for home construction could be found. A cheap cup of tea and a sandwich made of a piece of bread with a slice of sausage could be purchased at steaming food stalls. That market is now gone, shut down by the city and replaced by a big, modern hardware store, very efficient and well-lit and stocked. It is, however, not the same.
Other kiosk businesses have come and gone. One was a chain of kiosks that sold hot dogs and something passing vaguely for bratwurst and German sausages, located conveniently at the entrance to many metro stations. After leaving the metro, a cheap, hot and greasy hot dog could be purchased at a low price. The hot dog kiosks sold little rectangular packages of fruit juice that were too sweet. You had to tell the people manning the hot dog stand to take it easy on the garnishes. Otherwise, you’d get a big dollop of ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard, relish and fried onions whether you wanted them or not. When you bit into the thing, all that goop came flying out onto the sidewalk. A hot dog without any toppings was not highly regarded. The hot dog folks loved squirting sauces onto the buns.
Alas, the end of the kiosks as we once knew them had to be. Many of the kiosks did not pay their VAT and taxes. The planning was non-existent. Today, buying food at a normal grocery store is more relaxing, and safe. Where many of the big outdoor markets once stood in Moscow, shopping centers have sprung up. They are a lot warmer, cleaner and apparently, well liked. The new generation missed the kiosks and probably feel no nostalgia. That’s left for those of us who do.
When the kiosks first appeared in Russia in the early 90’s, I thought it was some kind of a Soviet phenomenon. This I learned to be untrue when I visited Guatemala City in 2003 on a business trip. I was taken to the central market in Guatemala and found out it was the same as in Russia. I felt like I was being take back on my own stomping grounds. It was a tax free, lawless little region, all kinds of facilities selling everything under the sun and lots of haggling going on. These kinds of markets still exist all over the world, where the modern retail trade has not yet set down operations. Long may the prosper.
Nowadays, Moscow has begin to go the way of Europe. Gradually, the kiosks are moving upscale. A few traditional markets still remain and I’m sure the kiosks can be found. Most have become permanent and clearly, the city is involved. The metros have standard looking retail outlets, all lined up neatly. However, outside the cities, the kiosks soldier on. I patronize a fruit kiosk in my neighborhood, to keep the memory alive.
Anyone feeling nostalgic about kiosks and outdoor markets can visit Ukraine where they still exist, despite the modern trade gradually gaining market share. Some of the markets by now have been around for a couple of decades and have moved away from boxy kiosks to small, individual connected units. Ukraine has wholesale markets where goods are brought into Ukraine by various means, for a low price. It could be that VAT is not paid, and under invoicing is going on, but don’t quote me. I was in Ukraine to sell coffee and visited one of these markets on a cold day last year. It took me back to similar, cold visits to such markets in Russia when they existed. We met with a few owners of coffee trading containers who proceeded to provide me with an exact understanding of the Ukraine coffee market, from the low end of the retail trade to the highest, the kinds of blends that are popular, newly launched brands and other trends. Try getting that kind of information at the grocery store.
Daniel Brooks, copyright, 23 February 2021