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Wednesday, September 18, 2013

The famous grocery store "Eliseevsky", opened a long time ago in 1901, is considered to be the first one in Moscow till now. Named in honour of its former owner and millionaire, Grigory Eliseev, the store became famous not only for its big variety of products, but for luxurious decoration of sales areas in Neo-Baroque taste. Huge crystal chandeliers, reminding of bunches of grapes, decorate high archs of the sales area. The house, situated in the historic center of Moscow in Tverskaya street, 14, has an interesting biography. At the end of 18 century Secretary of State of Ekaterina the Great invited the architector Matvey Kazakov to build a Palace for his beautiful wife, Kozitzkaya. After her death the Palace began to belong to the daughter- princess, A.G. Beloselskaya-Belozerskaya. In 1824 princess Zinaida Volkonskaya, the granddaughter of Kozitzkaya, opened a literary salon here, where the famous artists, poets and publisists liked to gather. A.S. Pushkin, E.A.Baratynsky, D.V. Venevitov, P.A. Byazensky, A. Mitzkevich recited their poetry many times. At the end of nineties of 19 century the house in Tverskaya street was bought by trader of St.Petersburg, the millionaire, Grigiry Eliseev, the tradesman of wine and colonial produce, the owner of the biggest grocery store in Nevsky avenue, in St.Petersburg in Russia. Here "the Eliseev Store and Russian, Foreign Wine Cellars" was opened. "Eliseevsky" was being opened solemnly with church service and priests who were invited specially for that ceremony. Counters in the store were full of different kinds of food. Eliseev who established friendly relations with european countries, sold various sorts of tea and coffee, different kinds of cereals, butter, cheese, sausages, rum, fruit, truffles and anchovies. After the revolution of seventeen the store continued to work not losing the popularity. The name " Gastronom №1" was not used, as the moscovites called it "Elissevsky". And the portrait of Grigory Eliseev, painted by the artist-amateur Alexandr Romanov, continued to decorate the wall of the main sales area in the grocery store till now. In 2004 there was a serious restoration of inside premises in the store. Politics of assortment, the industrial base changed, new corporative standards of serving were introduced. But "Eliseevsky" remaind a traditional, old store, the same it was earlier. The trading network "Alye Parusa" managed to combine the form of trade in counters with a modern supermarket harmoniously.