Few people remember that present-day Rákóczi Road (the former Kossuth Lajos Street) was the fashion hub of Budapest in the 1950s. Today, however, the olden days and the site of the huge department stores are only marked by a few worn signs. The parents and grandparents of some of our Hungarian readers must have told them stories of the days when long queues would form outside department stores on Rákóczi Road, not just to shop but also to admire the magnificent shop windows.

Nowadays, people in Budapest only pass through the busy Rákóczi Road, which connects Keleti Railway Station and Ferenciek tere (Square of the Franciscans). However, the former Kossuth Lajos Street represented modernity and development in its heyday, and the department stores there provided Budapesters with what was considered to be fashionable clothing at the time. But what did these shops sell and what made them so famous?

From a chronological point of view, it is worth looking at the Verseny (Competition) State Store first. The socialist department store, which was the successor to the Jakab Gutmann and Co store, opened its doors in 1949. Previously operating as a smaller shop, mainly selling industrial and workwear, the Verseny State Store was already a much larger fashion boutique where people of all ages could find something fashionable to wear. Today, the edifice operates as a bookshop.

Also, on the left side of today’s Rákóczi Road, on the way to Astoria, stood the Úttörő és Ifjúsági (Pioneer and Youth) State Store, which opened in the autumn of 1950 and was one of the most important venues for the youth of the time. Among its main goods were children’s clothing, sports and play equipment, children’s furniture, and, of course, as its name suggests, pioneer* paraphernalia as well.

The store’s reputation was not just for its high-quality products, but also for its modern and clean environment and the entertainment facilities for children—with a children’s cinema, a children’s hairdressing salon, and even a children’s photographer on hand to cater to the costumers’ needs. The historic establishment is now a hotel.

What the shops on Rákóczi Road had in common was that they all had several departments and thus customers always received personalized service. There were not only simple salespeople working there but enthusiastic shop assistants who were really experts in the different kinds of products and services.

The most memorable parts were the shop windows, which were always decorated with magnificent gifts and ornaments before the major holidays.

Eventually, the stores began to decline during the regime change when they could no longer compete with goods from abroad. First, some shops were divided into smaller boutiques to survive, but even then, they could not avoid being closed down in the end.

*Pioneers were a former Soviet organization for youth aged 9 to 14, closely associated with the Komsomol, the Communist youth association for young people aged 14 to 28. The movement was introduced to all countries in the Soviet bloc, in Hungary essentially replacing the banned Scout Movement.

Related articles:

Click here to read the original article.