What I can see

The three-storey neoclassical building consists of a residence on the second floor and a store on the ground floor and first floor. It houses one of the country’s longest-running businesses, the “Sgourdas” store, famous for glassware and household items. Although today the company is managed by the 4th generation of the Sgourdas family and has been modernized accordingly, it does not cease to be a reference point of old Athens and takes us back to the 19th century. During its history, the building underwent many alterations, mainly on the ground floor’s facade. With the latest restoration, however, it returned to its original form.

What I can't see

Georgios Sgourdas, from Georgitsi in Lakonia (southern Greece), came to Athens in 1860 and 10 years later, opened his first store opposite the church of Agia Irini. It was a store for metal hardware (kingalleria in Greek), an unknown term in Athens at the time, which is why Sgourdas was nicknamed as “Chancellor”. A few years later, the business moved to this building. After 1920, the product categories were expanded with many imports from Germany. During the Greco-Italian War (1940), Sgourdas supplied the Greek army with tarpaulins and canvas for tents, aluminum cookware, pots, cutlery and other items. Inside the store, historical relics of the company have been preserved, such as cash registers, typewriters, old advertisements, invoices and portraits.

Info

• Address: 61 Aeolou St.

Bibliography