Last week, the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) released new data for November 2012. The report states that unemployment has risen to 27% (compare that to November 2008, when the unemployment rate was 7.8%). Today, youth unemployment (age 15-24) is at 61.7% (in November 2008, it was 22.6%).
Our most treasured asset lies in our people. I personally witnessed and experienced what happened when as a nation, we channeled our incredible human resources to create and organize an unforgettable, exceptional, incomparable, triumphant event: the Athens 2004 Olympic Games. I joyfully lived the rise, full of hope for a bright future… and now I sadly live the fall, painfully aware of lost opportunities and life-changing, difficult circumstances.
Two days after the ELSTAT report was released, I had the opportunity to visit some local entrepreneurs in downtown Athens. A group called ATA (Alternative Tours of Athens) and another group called βy local/Athens co-hosted a walking tour which offered a behind-the-scenes look at artisans, craftspeople and designers in their studios and shops.
With the statistics
swirling in my head, I made my way to the event… and… was blown away by the people I met along the
way. Talented, driven, passionate, hopeful, creative, unique, inspiring - are
words that don’t even begin to describe them. The first stop on the tour was a
shop called Tintinnabulum. I felt like I was stepping into a little piece of
old Athens. And when I heard the owner, Athena Drakopoulou, talk about how her
store came to life, I realized that I had
stepped into a tiny slice of the city’s living history. The building itself
dates back to the 1930s and since the 1950s the space existed as a woodcarver’s
shop. In 2010, the workshop closed its doors and the neighborhood mourned the
loss of yet another traditional small business.
Athena had the
vision to turn the place into something unique. It took a lot of hard work to
clean decades of sawdust and grime from the floor; but it paid off as the
original tile was revealed underneath - a stunning, black and white art deco
block design. Even the walls practically talk in this place – they are riddled
with small holes, a lifetime of the woodcarvers using many, many nails to tack
up anything from tools, pieces of wood, calendars, to keys and photos…. For
nine months, Athena removed nails from the walls, did all of the cleaning, painting,
restoring and even some of the plumbing herself. The one-of-a-kind light
fixture hanging from the ceiling is also her creation.
The woodcarver’s old
work table serves as a counter, holding vintage suitcases filled with new
treasures – handmade earrings, bracelets and necklaces. Old-fashioned frames,
furniture and mirrors are used to display hand-crafted items and a piled-up collection
of antique bedside tables adorn the entire back wall, from floor to ceiling. In
the center of the small space you can sit on the retro sofa and enjoy a cup of
tea and cookies. In fact, Tintinnabulum often hosts tea parties for friends and
visitors.
Athena explained
that when she came to the neighborhood, people were happy that a
young person had rented the shop and was working so hard to retain its
original character. When the “Tintinnabulum” sign went up and the vintage
items, including a white lace dress, were placed in the shop window, curious neighbors
popped their heads inside, asking “what exactly is it that you sell?” With the initial
confusion long gone, Tintinnabulum is a welcome addition to the community. The next stop on the tour brought us to the “home” of Maria Velizioti and Giorgos Andritsakis. She’s actually a chemical engineer and he’s a professional diver. But it was their combined passion (hers, interior design - his, furniture re-design) that created Sous Sol. The semi-basement apartment is located in a pink neo-classical building, the top floors of which accommodate a music school. As I descended the few steps into Sous Sol, I felt like I was walking into someone’s house. The original layout has been left intact, and the couple spent months restoring the space, which was formerly used as a religious icons workshop. Maria and Giorgos also spent many months on their own, renovating each room, keeping original flooring and fittings where possible. The end result is 1940s Athens with a modern twist - an eclectic mix of refurbished vintage furniture, new items for the home, restyled lighting and newly-designed artsy fixtures.
Walk through the apartment’s four rooms (living room, dining room, kitchen and bedroom) and everything you see is for sale. The walls are a gallery where original artwork is displayed, currently featuring work by artist Michalis Andritsakis. Pieces of old tables (coffee tables, end tables) are re-designed into a shelving unit on the wall, filled with interesting books. In the bedroom, an old jewelry box filled with colorful baubles lies open on an antique dresser, a string of pearls is carefully laid out… I half expected Rita Hayworth to walk in, wearing a long silk dressing gown…
I discovered many amazing new shops during that afternoon tour. I met skilled artisans and
craftspeople and saw their original designs, one-of-a-kind items that you can’t
find anywhere else. Clothing, accessories, jewelry, home goods… From re-styled
vintage items to modern, cutting-edge industrial design items.
But what stands out
the most for me, is the innovative people behind these projects who have
invested their time and resources, making a serious effort to overcome the obstacles
of the current situation. If we can somehow find a silver lining in this crisis-cloud
that hangs over us, perhaps it is this – we are forced to think outside the
box, be resourceful, and have the courage to pursue something that, in better
times, we might have overlooked. Despite the grim statistics and unfavorable
conditions, new ideas are being created, new communities are coming together.
And that’s the other side of our new reality, another face of (new) Athens.Find out more:
www.atathens.org
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