Gostiny Dvor

Just as the Venetians founded their trading empire with the help of their fleet, especially galleys, so too does Northern Venice have its own "Galley" which previously provided the commercial greatness of the city. This place is called “Gostiny Dvor”. Located in the heart of the Northern Capital between Nevsky Prospekt, Sadovaya, and Dumskaya Streets, it is now one of the most famous shopping centers in St. Petersburg, previously a key point of sale for “fartsovschiki” (black market sellers) of Leningrad.

The choice of Gostiny Dvor as the main point of sale of black market goods is quite understandable. The convenient location in the center near the key avenues of Leningrad, a large number of hotels for international tourists, the presence of major sightseeing trails nearby, and large crowds of people made this place extremely convenient both for obtaining scarce and foreign goods, for selling products and, convenient to hide from the police. Clothing items were particularly popular: tights, jeans, jackets, cosmetics, costume jewelry, as well as cigarettes and currency. Black market sellers and currency traders waited for foreigners at hotels and, also, went after them at sightseeing places. They agreed to exchange for various goods and services (for example, conducting excursions) or purchase. Then, either in the lower or upper gallery, they searched for buyers, which was not an easy task. This was because they had to avoid becoming easy prey for the police and, at the same time, arouse the interest of potential buyers. The cultural exchange had become a non-obvious phenomenon associated with such activities. black-market sellers from "Galera" had their own slang which was formed depending on what product was currently in demand.

Certainly, the authorities tried to fight against speculation and the shadow market, but this struggle was unsuccessful at that time. It indicates the contacts and different practices of everyday interaction between residents of the USSR and foreigners during the Cold War. Today, nothing remains of the "Galley", and Gostiny Dvor is not associated with anything illegal at all.

"Saigon" Cafe

At the intersection of Nevsky and Vladimirsky Avenues, in the heart of the city, there was at one time the truly legendary cafe "Saigon". The name is unofficial and informal but well-known among the citizens of Saint-Petersburg.

In reality, cafe "Saigon" was just a cafe at the hotel "Moscow", which is why it was even previously called "Moscow Region" among its regular audience. The cafe got its legendary name thanks to a policeman`s comment. It was targeted at smoking girls, as it was told by the literature critic Viktor Toporov: "There it was allowed, then forbidden to smoke inside… During the period when smoking was prohibited, two girls took out cigarettes, a policeman went to them and said: "What are you doing here? A disgrace! What a "Saigon" here" [4]. Such an analogy appeared due to the fact that the Vietnam War was just unfolding at the same time. The initial stage of a series of military conflicts, where, among other things, the interests of the United States and the USSR clashed, was the civil war in South Vietnam. So, the cafe with permanent noise and disorder was named in the honor of its capital.

According to the description of people who were not regulars to this place, this cafe was quite a marginal place; even in the daytime, anyone could be robbed. A stranger saw in this place a dirty diner, which was so crowded that it was necessary to stand. According to foreigners who sometimes visited this place, "Bohemians" simultaneously mixed with criminals. They saw in this cafe a source of new intellectual life. Ponomarev, in his article "Informals on Nevsky", gives the following schedule of the Saigon restaurant: "In the morning — casual visitors or someone with a strong hangover-just drink coffee. From twelve to one in the afternoon, the book speculators from the Foundry had breakfast. The usual crowd drank coffee until four o'clock. The most "madhouse" started after five, when the regulars appeared" [5] - "Saigon" was rarely empty.

Many famous people, like Smoktunovsky, Tsoi, Dovlatov, and Grebenshchikov visited “Saigon”. Associated with their conversations and memories, the cafe is imprinted with the work of musicians. In 2001, an online resource was created. It speaks about the need for a detailed study of the culture created by this cafe – "Saigon culture". The author of the site says that "Saigon" not only created a language culture of the intelligentsia of the 1960s and 1980s but also formed a special culture of their behavior. It is hard to imagine a more suitable place where representatives of different segments of the population could gather: "And this very cafeteria gathered the entire St. Petersburg underground, all nonconformists, dissidents, drug addicts, parasites, poets, artists, teachers, military personnel, artists, alcoholics and athletes" [6]. In addition, "Saigon" was one of the first and largest cafeterias in Leningrad. It contributed to the spread of a coffee consumption culture, which was very unusual for Soviet people. A general interest in this drink swept Russia only with the 2000s coming.

The role of the Cold War in this particular location was related to the influence of Western culture. It ideologically transformed the youth’s interest in foreign music, Western literature and was different from that adopted in the Soviet Union way of life. It had a material manifestation in the form of some products, as well as associated practices. For example, drinking coffee was one of the components of a “Bohemian” lifestyle. All of this formed a special way of thinking, contrasting the regulars of such places with the people who avoided this cafe.

Supermarket “Frunzenskiy"

The supermarket “Frunzenskiy” was the first supermarket opened in the USSR on September 3, 1970. The word “supermarket” didn’t exist in Russian in the 1970s yet. For this reason, the new supermarket was named as “универсам” (universam). This name is derived from Russian expression “универсальный магазин” (universal`nyy magazin), which translates as “general store”.

Why was the decision accepted to build this supermarket? The Soviet economy faced the challenges of retail inefficiency and lower profitability by the 1960s. The traditional system of shops with counters required a greater amount of staffing costs, especially when the number of clients during peak hours increased. It made shops ineffective because the extra staff was not needed during regular hours.

When the Soviet government understood the problem existed, they decided to import the western pattern of self-service stores. It was budgeted to expand shops areas fivefold and to cut staff at the same time. These measures helped to improve cost-effectiveness at the level of 10% of gross profit instead of the former 20%. Originally, it was planned to convert old shops with counters into supermarkets, however, it was impossible. After that, the project of the first supermarket in the USSR was developed, and it was decided to build it in Leningrad, which is today known as Saint-Petersburg.

The building was built by the design institute “Gyprotorg” by the architect O.A. Veloreckiy and engineers A.D. Strakhovoy, E.A. Kuznetsov, and L.S. Kitaytseva [7]. It was the most modern shop in the USSR, which was equipped with Italian and American machines. A prototype for the shop was an Italian supermarket. “Frunzenskiy” was awarded the Order of Peoples` Friendship.

In 2002, “Frunzenskiy” was extensively renovated. This renovation completely changed the architectural character, especially, the front of the building. The total area was increased with help of new extensions on the sides of the building and in front of the main facade. A glass facade was installed instead of the old stone facade. One part of the extensions was made of stone, while another part was made with metal sheets. It should be noted that the replacement of machines had been carried out in the 1980s and not in 2002. A staff canteen was also opened in the 1980s [8]. In addition, in 2002, the lightning was modified, an escalator was erected, floors in the salesroom and (service rooms/ storage spaces) were redone. The last stage of the 2002 renovation was the beautification of surrounding areas: an update of access roads, the fitting of paving slabs, and creating individual entries and exits.

Store “Beryozka“

Despite the Soviet Union being an autarkic state, where the country`s economy did not depend on foreign economies, it required foreign currencies. Currencies were needed for the sale of foreign machines, payment of membership fees in international organizations, and other operations on the world market. Foreign currencies were in a limited supply in the USSR, because the number of international trade transactions was few. Accordingly, the system of foreign exchange recovery stores “Beryozka” (“Beryozka” translates as “Little birch tree”) was created to solve this problem.

These stores were made to get foreign currencies from a few people in the Soviet Union who had it: Soviet diplomats, foreign tourists, Soviet citizens who returned from abroad, and other people who related to international travel. Why did the USSR do this? It was cheaper than buying currencies on the world market by free-floating regimes. The same system of stores with the same name existed abroad as well. Clients were Soviet specialists living abroad, who were getting salaries not in currencies of host countries but in Soviet equivalents of these currencies. These equivalents could only be used in these stores and they were named “cheque rubles” or “certificate rubles”.

The assortment in Beryozkas was wider than in common shops in the USSR. Even in the era of shortages imported goods from the West and Eastern European countries were available for customers, despite the scarcity of these goods. There were no queues like those in classical stores. This inequality in the distribution system led Soviet citizens to reflect on the justice of the socialist system and ideology because it diverged from official state rhetoric. The existence of Beryozkas canceled out all propaganda achievements regarding the western “wrong” lifestyle and made this lifestyle attractive for people.

One of this chain`s first stores in Leningrad was opened in the famous Wawelberg Bank building. It was located within walking distance from the Hermitage, Palace Square, and the Admiralty at the very beginning of Nevsky Prospect. There were exchanging only for “certificate rubles”. Curiously, the office of Aeroflot, the official Soviet airline, was also located in this building. That made this building even more frequented among foreigners.

"Polyustrovo" Mineral Water Plant

The history of this place began in 1718 with the discovery of a mineral water source in the area of Rzhevka-Gunpowder. The very name of the place "Polyustrovo" is a Latin "paluster " - "swampy", adapted to the Russian language, describes well the place where the plant is now located. In the 1830s a complex health resort had already been opened here. In 1886 an entrepreneur named Lazarev began bottling `Polyustrovo` mineral water for the first time in Russia and selling it at pharmacies and for export. In 1935 The `Polyustrovo` Mineral Water Plant was built for the bottling of mineral table water. In 1938, the industrial production of mineral water "Polyustrovo" started. The selling of water in other USSR cities followed.

Indirectly, this object is connected with the cultural history of the Cold War. In 1979, a second production building was built on the territory of the source, where the bottling of the “Pepsi-Cola” soft drink was established under a franchise agreement with the “PepsiCo” company. "Coca-Cola" has existed since the second half of the 19th century, and the creator of "Pepsi-Cola" sought to improve its formula. His company was founded at the end of the 19th century. The business deal with the USSR was signed only during the Cold War. Pepsi’s choice to expand to the USSR was guided by the desire of the company to overtake its competitor - Coca-Cola, which had not yet delivered its product to the socialist country. This fact suggests that despite the restrictions imposed by the Cold War, global companies continued to act in their own interests, spreading the franchise regardless of the established borders.