A small chocolate bar, the contents of which are not known in advance, jeans that are not sold in an ordinary store, or a cassette player with the brand "Sony" - for several generations of Bulgarians these are not just goods, but a memory of "Korekom". The shops appeared in 1960 and quickly became one of the most visible faces of the socialist deficit.
The name comes from the French Comptoir de Représentation Commerciale - – “commercial representation office“. In them, shopping is done with freely convertible currency, not with ordinary leva. This turns the goods behind the windows into something more than purchases: they are a sign that their owner has dollars, relatives or friends abroad, the right to travel or access to work outside the country.
The store where the West was in one window
Even in the first years, “Korekom“ brought in significant foreign exchange earnings. For the period from February 1, 1960 to April 30, 1961, the enterprise realized about 608 thousand dollars. Initially, the idea was also related to serving foreigners and foreign missions, but the stores soon began to attract Bulgarian buyers.
The assortment looks impressive against the background of the empty or monotonous stands in the rest of the retail network. Western cigarettes, whiskey, cosmetics, jeans, shoes, watches, cameras, cassette players, televisions, magazines and toys are sold. Among the most memorable products are chocolate eggs with toys, which have remained in the language as “Korekom eggs“.
The stores also carry Bulgarian goods that are otherwise difficult to find in the country - products intended for export, but returned to the domestic market in exchange for foreign currency. Thus “Korekom“ simultaneously shows what is missing on the regular market and how the state is trying to attract hard money.
The price of access
In 1974, a decree of the Council of Ministers officially defined the activities of the enterprise: the sale of Bulgarian and imported goods, cars, spare parts and even real estate in exchange for foreign currency. Later, the regime for Bulgarian citizens was further formalized. Since 1986, purchases have been made by bank transfer or personal check, accompanied by a check card and passport.
Ruse documents from the late 1970s list cassette recorders for $80-120, “Seiko“ watches, “Johnnie Walker“ whiskey, and refrigerators. For someone who receives his salary in leva, the price is not just high - it is unattainable without access to foreign currency. That's why queues, middlemen and unofficial trade are born in front of the stores.
“These stores were like some kind of magical place for people during the socialist era“, says Tolya Chorbadzhieva, head of the Ruse branch of the State Archives.The end of the showcase
In Ruse, which is a border town with international transport and river traffic, there were seven “Korekom“ stores. In the last three days before their closure in April 1991, customers spent over $100,000 - four times more than the turnover for a usual three-day period.
After the political and economic changes, Western goods gradually left specialized stores and entered ordinary trade. “Korekom“ loses its role as the only window to the world, but remains as a memory of a time when a chocolate egg, a pair of jeans or a Japanese cassette player could seem like an unprecedented wealth.
Sources: new.bnr.bg, bta.bg, darikradio.bg