Shrinking refugein bookstores

Patrons at Podpisniye Izdaniya, a sprawling St Petersburg bookstore. — Nanna Heitmann/The New York Times

A BOOKSTORE in central St Petersburg, once a tiny Soviet relic, grew into one of the city’s cultural landmarks in just a few years.

Podpisniye Izdaniya expanded to 12 times its former size, adding two coffee shops, a souvenir department and a publishing programme.