Why You Need to Visit a Periptero in Greece

History & Culture

16.07.2024

The humble periptero (or plural, "periptera") is a must-visit during your time in Greece. Usually, visitors to Greece think about major tourism sites like the Acropolis and Delphi. However, if you want a truly authentic experience, you need to visit the nearest periptero.

What is a Periptero?

Imagine a tiny supermarket, selling everything from magazines to yoghurt to tissues to beer, planted on the street corner of the main boulevard of every town and city in Greece. These miniature kiosks are stocked with a wide variety of Greek products, and most stay open late into the night.

The First Periptero in Greece

When did the first periptero open in Greece? The humble kiosk in Greece emerged in the early 20th century with a government program giving kiosk licenses to war veterans and the disabled. Licenses usually could be passed to children or family members. The first periptera just sold newspapers. The very first periptero in Greece was in Athens on Panepistimiou Street.

Periptera in the Early 1900's

After the First World War, Greece’s periptera started to sell cigarettes, candies, and a few other essential goods. There was a limited size of 70x70cm. Just imagine standing inside a half-meter box for most of the day.

The Most Successful Kiosk in Greece

The most successful periptero is called “Minion”. It was first opened in 1934 on the corner of Stadiou and Patission Street in Athens. The store was unique because it had an expanded stock of merchandise, including pens, sunglasses, and grooming equipment. 20 years later, the business grew to a department store with 1000 employees.

Where Does the Name "Periptero" Come From?

The "periptero" in Classical architecture was an ancient Greek or Roman temple surrounded by portico columns. “Peri” means to surround, and “ptero” is a wing. All periptera start with a small cabin with dimensions 1.3 x 1.5 meters. From these basic dimensions, you "surround" the central cabin with newspaper racks, fridges, and extra snack shelving. The best periptera always have a freezer with ice cream.

What is "Authentic" About the Periptero?

Much like the kafeneion or the central square in Greece, the periptero is an important meeting place in Greek society. For a long time, these kiosks were the only place to buy cigarettes and tobacco. Naturally, it also became a place to share a smoke, a conversation, and the local gossip. This is especially true in rural areas. For many years, periptera were one of the only places in Greece to find a phone (unless you lived in a very wealthy household). In the 1950s and 1960s, most homes didn’t have a landline, so periptera were a common place to make a call. Fifty years ago, it was probably the first thing you expected to hear on the other end of a phone call: “I’m calling from a periptero”.

The Periptero as an Information Center

The periptero also functions as a center for information. Periptero owners often know the local area very well, and have an advisory role for those who live nearby. For example, university students come to leave their contact cards for tutoring. Buyers or rentors might ask the periptero around the corner about real estate in the local area. Or, if you are unemployed, you might ask the owner about job opportunities. The periptero owner is a humble advisor, and they often know things about their customer, like what cigarettes they spoke, their newspapers, and their favorite time to shop. It’s an unwritten tradition that if a regular needs something, the periptero owner will order for them.

The Periptero as a Family Tradition

Some periptero owners claim they know what a customer wants just by the way they walk up to the booth or with what tone of voice they use. One owner shares: “What’s fascinating about those who buy newspapers is the way they address you depending on which paper they will buy.” Other periptero owners have developed methods to catch thieves, who may ask for help finding a “particular magazine”. They could be baiting the owner to step out of the kiosk to examine the racks, exactly when they would steal something valuable.

The Future of the Periptero in Greece

The periptero is becoming an engangered species in Greece. Athens used to have 1080 periptera, and more than half have been closed. In Greece all together, 18,000 periptera were around in 2005, and today there are 5000.

Why are periptera disappearing?

Slowly, new government laws are making it harder to own and keep a kiosk. Restrictions during the COVID outbreak limited their hours, and new laws allowed other stores to sell cigarettes. At the same time, competition from corner stores with larger stocks made it harder to make a profit. With the periptero becoming an increasingly rare sight in Greece, the country is at risk of losing an important cultural phenomenon. Take a trip to your local periptero, while you still can!

What Can I Buy at a Periptero in Greece?

At a periptero today, you can buy Greek chocolates, Greek cigarettes, drinks, sweets and snacks, ice cream, toothpaste and toiletry items, telephone cards, pens, and newspapers, among other items.