Despite its young age, this market might be called a respected resident of St. Petersburg.It was founded in the late XIXth century by a merchant Ivan Sergeyevich Maltsev who knew that quite a few tradesmen would need new facilities.So, the merchants at the time could stay at the appartment houses nearby, which was very convenient. Then the government passed a law on free trade which stopped the monopoly of large markets. Middle men and entrepreneurs gradually disappeared as collective farms kept growing. Anyways, the state kept taking care of timely delivery of fresh food to the population. After World War II the building of Maltsev market was repaired and obviously, the owners were against excessively luxurious interiors. At present, both farmers and big suppliers can be seen at the counter at Maltsev maket, as to choose goods at an affordable price.