Great Gostiny Dvor in black and white

If we look at black and white photographs of the Gostiny Dvor, it becomes like a store from the memories of my childhood. In Soviet times, the prices of manufactured goods in all stores were the same, and the cost of rent did not bother anyone. At that time, our family most often visited the department store House of Leningrad Trade. The Great Gostiny Dvor we also visited quite often. On the second floor there was a photo store. I bought there film for the "Smena" camera when I was a schoolgirl.

Near the stairs with the Christmas tree was a kiosk for instant photography. We had to go inside, close the curtains and carefully look into the lens. Or make different faces if there was a mood to fool around. A few minutes later, the kiosk showed a long strip with four photographs.

In the department store there were shops of clothes, toys, stationery and others. I took these photos before the lockdown, some of the pictures still show Christmas decorations.