1850
Athens was still a small town somewhere in the center
of the newly founded Greek State - 1832-.
There were just a handful of buildings all over the city.
One of those neoclassical buildings was Booze,
which at the time was built as a residency. But it also
included a parking lot…for carriages…the transport of the time.
Sometime later it must have been burnt but rebuilt on 1919 based on
the same architectural plan according to the father of the owner
Lea Stamopoulou.

A century later…

1955
The father of Lea Stamopoulou buys the building
which is still an apartment building.

Around 1960
The last families that inhabited the building leave
and in their place the two apartments are turned to
commercial space. Every room was a company mostly around clothing.
“On the ground floor there was a store of men’s fabrics called “Sterlina”,
which later on, sold only lining.
"They stayed for many many years up until 2001” recalls Lea.

1989
It is the time for Athens to meat Booze.
On the second floor there was still the famous tailor
Bartzopoulos who had made clothes for all the avant garde of
the 50’s and 60’s. The hear say speak even of Yves Saint Laurent recalls Lea.

From 1989 till today this 4-story building has had
stories echoed on its walls,
paintings made,
video art projected,
seminars taught,
theater shown and
almost any art form
has been somehow connected to or made in it.

Mousetraps by Lea Stamopoulou