#ARCTIC. #SIBERIA. THIS IS TAIMYR. The entrance to the city from Nansena street to the intersection of Komsomolskaya and Ordzhonikidze streets received its name Krasnoyarskaya street on September 23, 1966. Moskovskaya and Leningradskaya streets already were in Norilsk by that time, the region’s capital should also be respected.
Krasnoyarskaya Street, despite its small size, continued the Norilsk central streets’ traditions: there is a shop or household services on the ground floors of its buildings. The Oktyabr (Eng.: October) grocery store, named after the Revolution’s golden jubilee, a household store, later Clothes Repair (one of its services, urgent orders, was executed from 24 hours to 13 (!) days) worked there.
Krasnoyarskaya street housed the first and only Olympiets (Eng.: Olympian) sporting goods store. In addition to selling equipment for athletes and tourists, you could get in line for the biggest deficit – cars in Olympiets. This queue, taking into account the numerous beneficiaries, stretched for years and decades.
Once the city newspaper decided to joke on April 1: they wrote that an indefinite record for cars of any brand had been opened in the Olympiets, you just need to have flowers with you. The Norilsk people didn’t understand the joke, and a giant queue with bouquets lined up at the store.
There was also a hairdressing salon Fantasy and the Wedding house. Prior to this, the Norilsk people were married in the building on Leninsky prospekt, 20 (now the Mirage store). The new registry office was inscribed in the typical building’s first floor.
The Solnechny (Eng.: Sunny) store worked on the contrary, there were sold goods for the newlyweds., You could buy wedding dresses, rings, clothes, dishes and household utensils using coupons from the registry office in the salon. The most cunning applied for marriage registration just to get the coveted coupon, bought a shortage in Solnechny and didn’t appear at the wedding. The Flowers store opened in 1970 on Leninsky prospekt was the bridal salon’s branch at first.
In the mid-1980s, the Solnechny store changed its specialization and name: it became the Rhythm, and the words Cinema Photo Musical Goods appeared on the facade. The only music store’s assortment was as follows: accordions, pianos, violins, guitars, records, strings, binoculars and movie cameras, and there also was a photo department. The goods here were also completely scarce.
In the History spot photo project previous publication we told about the Norilsk Combine’s legal department’s head.
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Text: Svetlana Ferapontova, Photo: Nornickel Polar Division archive
