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by
Peter Hadzipetros |
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Not
going for the gold
Many
small Greek businesses greet the coming Olympics with ambivalence.
They aren't expecting a big boost to the bottom line.
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Manolis Libertas is focusing on the biggest construction project he's ever been involved in. There are tight deadlines looming as 2004 approaches. He knows the job's going to get done, but if it doesn't -- well, he'll continue to sell his pottery from his dusty storefront studio, 250 metres off the main road between Hora and Filoti on the Greek island of Naxos.
Libertas has been making a decent living for years, turning out traditional pottery on Naxos, one of the Cycladic Islands, a half-hour flight south of Athens. Next year, he's moving into a new place, right on the main road. But he's not feeling any Olympic pressure.
The tourists, they say, love his work. And despite the tiny sign pointing to his studio, they seem to have no trouble finding him.
Naxos isn't one of those Shirley Valentine islands that have enticed millions of tourists over the years, with romantic images of deep blue seas and skies and whitewashed buildings -- although those pictures exist here, too. The island has always been self-sufficient. It's rich in natural resources and only recently entered the tourist age, reluctantly.
Still, very few signs here indicate that the mega-billion dollar Olympics are coming. You'll find the odd Olympic souvenir featuring the genderless mascots of the games in the book and stationery store on the waterfront in Hora, the main town on the island. But not much else.
While the locals remain hopeful, some express a little concern.
Angie Giacoumis and her husband, Costas, run a taverna in Moutsouna, a part of the island that just recently got bus service. It's one of those seaside places Greeks flee to during the scorching heat of August. A spot where you're more likely to be woken up by the morning goat traffic than by passing cars.
"Tourism's been down the past couple of years," Angie said. "We're hoping it picks up next year with the Olympics, but they're far away and not everyone benefits."
And she should know. The cafeteria they ran in Montreal in 1976 didn't cash in on the Olympic experience. She moved her family to Naxos 20 years ago and mainly caters to a local clientele.
Back in Athens, there are those who have their concerns as well.
At the Vergina Gallery in Plaka, even in the offseason, they're open until midnight on a Saturday night, selling Greek made art and jewellery. Almost hidden on a counter, are two small displays of Olympic souvenirs.
"I use them as loss leaders," the owner, George, says. "They don't sell. I practically have to give them away. There's too much competition." He points across the narrow street at The Olympic Store, the official outlet for Athens 2004 souvenirs.
A 10-minute walk away on the edge of the flea market neighbourhood of Monastiraki, I stop to buy traditional Greek shirts from a vendor, selling his wares out of a cramped basement. Panayotis is in temporary digs. He's supposed to be across the street in a modern building, but it's still under construction. And he's worried.
"The crews have already broken water pipes once," he said. "I was flooded out. They tell me the new location is supposed to be ready soon. But they have no time to work on it. They have to go to other more important construction projects."
I select two shirts from his massive selection, but he steers me away from them.
"No, not those," he says. "They don't hold their colour in the wash. These are better." And they're a little cheaper, too.
Back on Naxos, Manolis Bardanis runs a traditional café geared to an almost exclusively male clientele. Locals. His plans for next August?
"Like any other August," he says. "I'm closing down for the month and taking my family to the beach."
LETTERS [Email
Peter here] |
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About
Peter
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Peter
Hadzipetros produces the Consumer
Zone for cbc.ca and runs the web site for Marketplace. Until
he got into long distance running a little over a year ago, he was
a net importer of calories. He successfully completed the Boston Marathon Apr. 21, in a time of 3:57:17.
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