Just outside of Athens’ Syntagma square, there’s a vacant arcade that must have been quite a hip center of retail in the mid-20th century.
In the 21st century it seems to mostly serve as a place for sneaking a smoke (and judging by the smell, a covert bathroom break).
Flanking the arcade are vintage-cool stores, one of them shuttered.
Get a little closer…hey, look at all those vintage signs!
This is the Passage of the Merchants, aka the Stoa Emporon.
The Passage of the Merchants is a kind of artist installation. Some folks, who—like me—love vintage signs, put out a call for obsolete signs and hung them all here.
Athens is a city with an inescapably important cultural heritage. I’m glad they’ve spared a bit of nostalgia for their less ancient cultural treasures.
Find The Passage of Merchants at Voulis 4.
How I got to Athens: flight from Chicago.
Where I slept: Amalia Hotel. Price: €118 for a single. Recommended: yes
Picnic at the Cathedral 
O tempora, o mores, to use an anachronism
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An appropriately Classical reference.
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It looks so early 1960s….
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Yes! Even the computer & internet signs look mid-century,
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Interesting. I remember those days of internet shops!
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I used them many times while traveling, if I wasn’t able to access a computer in my hotel’s lobby (how could that have been safe?) or the public computer in tourist information centers.
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“The good Ole days!
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I was in Athens with 2 Greek-CAnadians before the Internet took off globally like a rocket…ie. approx. 1987. Yea. I remember strolling in a rich shopping Athens district, where the sidewalk plaza was completely white gorgeous marble.
So many memories. We also stayed for 1 of our 3 nights in Pireaus, the suburb. But in a rich Arab area. Walking in morning, I suddenly realized I had dreamt this corner several wks., before Greece trip! It was a surreal moment.
How long in Greece will you be?
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Hi Jean, I think in 1987 you may have been walking around window-shopping for clothes with giant shoulder pads. :)
Interesting about how you kind of had déjà vu. I didn’t go to Pireaus. The neighborhood I visited that was largely Middle Eastern was called Omonia, I think. I had the most delicious yogurt there. (I was in Athens for a week).
That gorgeous white marble gets slippery when it rains!
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I have to admit: there’s something eerie and spooky about scenes like these. “Hoomans were once here: thriving, laughing, arguing, bartering. But not no more, except for these signs.” Thanks for highlighting this little piece of Athens.
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LOL yes, though there is so much coffee drinking, snacking and socializing nearby so in reality the Hoomans of Athens are gonna be alright for now.
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I love old school signs. And covered arcades. There’s something so interesting in those logos from time past.
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Yeah, especially those old school fonts. Zoom in on those T’s on the “Internet” sign—sensational!
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