Novosibirsk has had numerous outdoor markets. When Melody lived here previously she used to frequently shop at a very large outdoor market not less than ten minutes walk from our place. When we returned to live here she was very disappointed to see that it had closed down. Not even all of the land is still being used, although some new shops have gone in that space.
When we were in Moscow in June a friend explained that there are still around 90 open air markets there. (The population is over 15 million after all.) But the Moscow city government would really prefer to see them closed and has a plan to get that number below 20.
In Novosibirsk the central market still exists and some open air markets around the city. The closest and therefore our favourite was at the Studencheskaya Metro (Student Train Station). It was only 10 minutes walk from our place. There were clothes for sale, numerous household goods, and a variety of fresh foods. The fruit and vegetables were often better quality than in the supermarket, but the prices not that much cheaper. We sometimes felt that the markets were not competitive enough with their prices. They hadn't worked out how capitalism works, or perhaps Russians are happier with a much smaller savings margin than we are.
Here is a picture of the Studencheskaya market:
Then at the start of August this happened:
We were very sad to see this happen. It is totally unnecessary. Some ladies had set up their fruit stands across the street on the side of the footpath. We went over to talk with them and they were quite disappointed. They were of the opinion that they market had closed down because the city wants to be like the west. "You don't have markets in your country do you?" "Um, actually, yes we do." I can think of three very large markets in Melbourne- Queen Victoria, Dandenong and Caribbean Gardens then also smaller indoor markets such as Box Hill. We have not removed them from our culture even as we have developed and changed. I can also remember a large market in Kitchener-Waterloo in Ontario and the smaller farmer's markets such as in Borden.
We found a local newspaper article that confirmed our suspicions. "There is a reorganization of local markets.... not so many are needed any more.... people can now shop in supermarkets and hypermarkets." That is all very well if people have a car. Many new Russians do, but it creates an extra burden for people who do not. If Russia wants to be like the west they should paint the buildings and fix up the roads instead of closing down the markets. Adding new things is a positive step, but removing the good things from yesterday is just stupid; it is throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
3 comments:
There's a bit of a trend here in the UK for Farmers' Markets. They are small and seasonal and you have to hunt around for them (nothing like the magnificence of the Vic market which I reckon is probably one of the best in the world) but people like the quality and the freshness of local produce. It's a real shame Russia (and other places like it) are too quick to "modernise" without appreciating what they already have and do so well.
The trend may be exacerbated by a desire to curtail the black market, leading to more efficient taxation & reduced crime. There are simple ways of having these benefits and the markets, but they may have assumed the first step is to reduce their number. If this is what councils, etc, are thinking, they may be right - but I don't know enough about the situation to do any more than speculate. Markets probably flourished during the hard economic times of earlier years as part of an economy supplimented by barter, etc and so may have a slightly different place in the minds of officials there than elsewhere.
Two old ladies selling their spare vegetables don't strike me as a major economic or social threat. If they remove most or all of the markets, don't be surprised if they start to reappear in 10-20 years time, but for the same reasons they exist everywhere else.
Very interesting take Nathan. You may be right. I don't perceive there to be a black market anymore these days, as there is pretty much open freedom in the retail sector. But your comment about taxes probably has a lot more merit. So this is something to throw into the mix, but there can be no doubt that Russians still think that markets are "unwestern."
I surely hope that all of the markets do not disappear.
Queen Vic, one of the best in the world, wow, well if you have seen plenty, then you would know. I think some of the Chinese markets are quite large, but I do agree there is great variety and quality at the Queen Vic.
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