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"A century of knowledge on the shelves of a bookshop"
Lounge of knowledge, a place of reflection that houses restless companions, just a few meters from the central market of Hermoupolis at Stamatiou Proiou 5 street, the traditional bookstore of Stathis Stathopoulos holds a prominent position: it belongs to the ten long-lived bookstores of the country.
It was in early 1912 when George Efstathiou Stathopoulos, coming from Gortynia, accepts an invitation from his uncle D. Kyriazopoulos, already a prosperous owner of a bookshop in Hermoupolis, to succeed his business.
Worshipper of learning George Stathopoulos transfers the bookstore from Ermou Street in the neoclassical Mieser mansion (1841), with a marble façade, to Stamatiou Proiou street. Editor of the Journal Bonds(Efimerida ton Omologion) and partners with Psihari, G. Stathopoulos, father of current owner Mr Stathis Stathopoulos, bequeathed to his son the love of books. Son coexists with his father in business until the death of him at the late days of the German occupation, since then, with his wife, they live in books operating a small bookstore in a standard manner.
STATHOPOULOS bookstore houses student dreams, fabulist stories, generations of poets and writers . In 1980 it gets converted into a pure bookstore. Ten years later, the second floor, where in the 19th century housed the music school, of the famous Italian conductor Biferno, converted into a reading room. Here now, with the figurines, personal memorabilia, the perrenial pages, a real treasure hides.
In the cosy areas of the ground floor and the reading room 300 albums of general interest and more than 20,000 titles of books are offered.
The archive of the bookstore contains local newspapers since 1901, all the works of Syros writers, Roidi, Vikela, Boumi-Pappa, Bastia, Mano Eleftheriou, Koukoule, the rare "History of Syra" by Timoleon Ampela ( 1800). To the readers a collection of 360 rare books is offered and the correspondence with the Patriarchate of Leonidas Filippidis, professor of history of religions. Finally, this hangout ventures art activities, book reviews, and reviews of major publications.
Mr Stathis Stathopoulos, always on for rare nowadays battlements of knowledge, had the pleasure and satisfaction to see himself to be awarded five times:
In 1994 and again in 2001 received awards from the Business Association of Siros, and in 1997 the Commercial Chamber of Cyclades includes the bookstore to an award nomination as one of the oldest companies contributed to the business and intellectual development of Siros.
In December 2004, Stathis Stathopoulos received a Honorary Degree & Silver Medal, awarded to six honorary publishers and people for the year of 2003, in a ceremony which takes place in the Senate Hall of the Greek Ethnological Society (Old Parliament).
So far the awards end in August of 2005, where the City Hall of Hermoupolis, gives in turn to Stathi Stathopoulo "Honorary Distinction for his contribution to the dissemination of good books, for the creation of the reading room and for his highly professional ethics.
Stathis Stathopoulos experiencing, a lucid mind and spirit for work, the eighth decade of his life, with mrs Poppy partner and life companion for 60 consecutive years, without being retired, remaining an active member of the Commercial Union of Siros and of the Chamber of Cyclades. Outside the market processes, customers write to the bookstores notebook their impressions of the bookstore, even congratulating letters to the owners.
Mr. Stathopoulos emotionaly refers to the crosstalk held during the awards ceremony in the Old Parliament, where an Athenian publisher asks, "How does a bookstore stays alive for about 100 years in the province?" But before answering, somebody else responds: "Siros is not a province, my dearest!".
In a jewel town with history like Hermoupolis, places like STATHOPOULOS bookstore automatically delete the characterisation of "province" making proud its owners.
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