A vanished icon: About the periptero and the man who worked there

The Greek Periptero (kiosk): open from early morning until late at night, when all other shops have long since closed. For sale everything you could possibly imagine. From cigarettes to candles. From lighter fluid to wine and beer. From batteries to aspirin. And in the days before smartphones, you could also make phone calls there.

The heart of the village

At the peripteras (kiosk owner), you handed over money you owed someone else. He made sure it was passed on. Once, he called out to us as we walked past. He was waving an envelope. It was the registered letter from the Netherlands in which my new credit card had been sent. The postman didn’t find us at home, so he left it behind at the peripteras, knowing it would reach the right place.

Until suddenly the shutters remained closed. His son took over for a little while longer. But in the spring of 2024, the curtain fell. Now, in 2026, it seems to be over for good: that era of the always-open, all-selling periptero and his peripteras.