Athens will be without an Eleftheroudakis bookstore for the first time in over 120 years come September 30, as the historic bookstore chain has announced the closure of its final store.
Founded as a family business in 1898 with a single bookstore on Syntagma Square, Eleftheroudkis grew over the years and generations to be Greece’s most well-known name for books.
“Friday, September 30, 2016 marks an end and also a new beginning. We are closing our bookstore and we are thinking outside the box,” the Elefteroudakis family statement read.
“We are preparing our next ‘bookshop’, but we will not do it as long as there is not a positive and stable business environment in our country,” said the press release.
Eleftheroudakis stores dotted the capital, with several shops outside Athens, too, at their peak
