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VERNISAGE - OLD PLACE, NEW IMAGE: YEREVAN'S TOURIST ATTRACTION SPOT UNDERGOES MUNICIPALITY-ORDERED REFORMS
NAZIK ARMENAKYAN
ArmeniaNow
03.05.11
By Gohar Abrahamyan
ArmeniaNow
The Yerevan municipality ban on street trade, as well as the city
greening works, has reached the open-air market in the city center
commonly known as Vernisage.
Every weekend for over 15 years now about a thousand people put for
sale Armenian paintings, traditional handicrafts, carpets, folk musical
instruments, as well a large variety of antiquity, books, cutlery,
china ware, souvenirs and jewelry at a location in downtown Yerevan
known by all locals and quite popular with tourists and visitors,
who go there to buy things or just to look at items on display.
Enlarge Photo
Days ago city mayor Karen Karapetyan, while visiting Vernisage,
complained of poor sanitary conditions of the place giving assurances,
however, that it would not be shut down, and moreover that it should
become a nice and clean place.
"Vernisage is a tourist attraction - similar markets can be found
in many cities of the world. Our main task is preservation of the
green area as well as creation of proper sanitary conditions," said
the mayor, referring to flea markets in major tourist destinations
around the world.
Harutyun Navasardyan (visiting with the mayor), who is renting the
area from the municipality and leasing it to vendors, promised that
soon 300-500 new and well-made stalls will be installed there.
"We have placed the order, soon they'll be delivered," says
Navasardyan, without specifying the dates, however giving assurances
that the rent would not be increased because of the new stalls (today
200-500 drams ($0.5-$1.3) per square meter are charged from vendors
daily for having stalls at Vernisage).
Following the mayor's demand to improve the working conditions
several new stalls were installed in the front part of the market
along with new canopies; for this purpose a sum of 2,000 drams ($5.4)
was collected from each vendor. However, until the stalls and parasols
for the rest of the market would arrive and be ready for use, vendors
are not allowed to use the large umbrellas previously used to protect
them both from sun and rain.
"We are not allowed to put up an awning; we stand in the rain trying
to somehow survive until we see when the umbrella civilization will
reach us. I am the only provider of my family, so want it or not but
I have to somehow endure the weekends; it's not like I have choice,"
says 55-year-old Anahit, a vendor at Vernisage, designer by profession,
trying to shelter from heavy rainfall under a small umbrella.
Months ago even the area designed as green zones of the park where
Vernisage is, above the street curbs, were used as trade space.
However the green areas are being recovered now and have been fences
with a protective rope forbidding the entrance - 15,000 AMD ($15.8)
fine is set in case of trespassing.
Trade has been banned from the area between Hanrapetyun Street and
Republic Square where spare parts were usually sold, and as a result
around 500 people are now left without source of income.
Some of the vendors who have several years of "working experience"
at Vernisage, are trying to understand, although with an air of
discontent, the good reasons behind the mayor's decision due to which
the area is now relatively cleaner than before and more suitable for
work and trade.
"It is better this way - it is clean and the lighting is better, so
I have nothing to complain about," says Iveta, a vendor at Vernisage
who is now working at one of the new stall installed in the front part.
A little bit farther from pieces of cultural value one can find
second-hand things - clothes, kitchen utensil, shoes, etc.
Some are concerned about a possibility that the sale of such items
will not be allowed and only trade of items of cultural value will
be permitted at Vernisage.
"I am a pensioner, and have been coming here to sell things for the
past decade. If they ban now, what am I going to do, how to survive? I
am well aware that the things I sell do not match, putting it mildly,
with the essence of Vernisage (which initially was meant for art works
only). But what else can I do?" says former economist Anna, pointing at
the clothes and glass ware lain on a 2-meter-long 50-centimeter-wide
fabric spread on a street curb. And a woman next to her, 40-year-old
Naira, is more optimistic about the future.
"They'll do something one way or another... We'll just have to wait
and see."
From: A. Papazian
NAZIK ARMENAKYAN
ArmeniaNow
03.05.11
By Gohar Abrahamyan
ArmeniaNow
The Yerevan municipality ban on street trade, as well as the city
greening works, has reached the open-air market in the city center
commonly known as Vernisage.
Every weekend for over 15 years now about a thousand people put for
sale Armenian paintings, traditional handicrafts, carpets, folk musical
instruments, as well a large variety of antiquity, books, cutlery,
china ware, souvenirs and jewelry at a location in downtown Yerevan
known by all locals and quite popular with tourists and visitors,
who go there to buy things or just to look at items on display.
Enlarge Photo
Days ago city mayor Karen Karapetyan, while visiting Vernisage,
complained of poor sanitary conditions of the place giving assurances,
however, that it would not be shut down, and moreover that it should
become a nice and clean place.
"Vernisage is a tourist attraction - similar markets can be found
in many cities of the world. Our main task is preservation of the
green area as well as creation of proper sanitary conditions," said
the mayor, referring to flea markets in major tourist destinations
around the world.
Harutyun Navasardyan (visiting with the mayor), who is renting the
area from the municipality and leasing it to vendors, promised that
soon 300-500 new and well-made stalls will be installed there.
"We have placed the order, soon they'll be delivered," says
Navasardyan, without specifying the dates, however giving assurances
that the rent would not be increased because of the new stalls (today
200-500 drams ($0.5-$1.3) per square meter are charged from vendors
daily for having stalls at Vernisage).
Following the mayor's demand to improve the working conditions
several new stalls were installed in the front part of the market
along with new canopies; for this purpose a sum of 2,000 drams ($5.4)
was collected from each vendor. However, until the stalls and parasols
for the rest of the market would arrive and be ready for use, vendors
are not allowed to use the large umbrellas previously used to protect
them both from sun and rain.
"We are not allowed to put up an awning; we stand in the rain trying
to somehow survive until we see when the umbrella civilization will
reach us. I am the only provider of my family, so want it or not but
I have to somehow endure the weekends; it's not like I have choice,"
says 55-year-old Anahit, a vendor at Vernisage, designer by profession,
trying to shelter from heavy rainfall under a small umbrella.
Months ago even the area designed as green zones of the park where
Vernisage is, above the street curbs, were used as trade space.
However the green areas are being recovered now and have been fences
with a protective rope forbidding the entrance - 15,000 AMD ($15.8)
fine is set in case of trespassing.
Trade has been banned from the area between Hanrapetyun Street and
Republic Square where spare parts were usually sold, and as a result
around 500 people are now left without source of income.
Some of the vendors who have several years of "working experience"
at Vernisage, are trying to understand, although with an air of
discontent, the good reasons behind the mayor's decision due to which
the area is now relatively cleaner than before and more suitable for
work and trade.
"It is better this way - it is clean and the lighting is better, so
I have nothing to complain about," says Iveta, a vendor at Vernisage
who is now working at one of the new stall installed in the front part.
A little bit farther from pieces of cultural value one can find
second-hand things - clothes, kitchen utensil, shoes, etc.
Some are concerned about a possibility that the sale of such items
will not be allowed and only trade of items of cultural value will
be permitted at Vernisage.
"I am a pensioner, and have been coming here to sell things for the
past decade. If they ban now, what am I going to do, how to survive? I
am well aware that the things I sell do not match, putting it mildly,
with the essence of Vernisage (which initially was meant for art works
only). But what else can I do?" says former economist Anna, pointing at
the clothes and glass ware lain on a 2-meter-long 50-centimeter-wide
fabric spread on a street curb. And a woman next to her, 40-year-old
Naira, is more optimistic about the future.
"They'll do something one way or another... We'll just have to wait
and see."
From: A. Papazian