Tsarist-era Moscow grocery store set to close

 

沙皇時代的莫斯科商店將關閉

◎黃靖媗

This weekend one of Moscow’s most iconic landmarks, the Eliseevsky luxury grocery store, will close its doors forever, bowing after 120 years to the forces of 21st-century consumer capitalism.

莫斯科最具代表性的地標之一，耶立謝耶夫斯基奢華商店，將於本週末永久關門，在營業120年後，向21世紀的消費資本主義低頭。

Often listed as a must-visit for tourists, the store suffered from restrictions on international travel to Russia. At the same time, many of its Russian customers scaled back, looking for cheaper groceries as disposable incomes sharply fell in 2020.

這間常被遊客列為必逛景點的商店，因為俄羅斯的國際旅遊限制而受到衝擊。與此同時，在可支配所得銳減的2020年，許多俄羅斯顧客也選擇縮手，尋求更便宜的食品雜貨。

It was once owned by Zinaida Volkonskaya, a princess and Russian cultural figure in the 19th century. She remodeled the house, passed down to her by her father, into a literary salon.

它曾由公主兼俄羅斯19世紀文化名人季娜伊達．沃爾孔斯卡亞持有。她將父親傳給她的房子，改建為一間文學沙龍。

St. Petersburg merchant Grigory Eliseev then bought the building in 1898. Three years later, he opened his store, quickly a hit among Russian nobility for the selection of European wine and cheeses.

聖彼得堡商人格里戈里．耶立謝耶夫隨後在1898年買下了這棟建築。3年後，他開了自己的店，由於選用歐洲的葡萄酒與起司，很快便大受俄羅斯貴族歡迎。

【新聞辭典】

bow to：動詞，向…低頭。例句：The government was forced to bow to public pressure and lift the restriction.（政府被迫向公眾壓力低頭，移除了限制。）

remodel：動詞，改變（外觀）、改造。例句：The kitchen has been fully remodeled.（這間廚房已經被徹底改造。）

merchant：名詞，商人。