Throughout Sarajevo, I found many small stores similar to convenience marts, but with much more character. These stores sell produce in large quantities, which is obvious by simply observing the exterior, as boxes and boxes are filled with fresh fruits and vegetables. Inside, one may find products like toothpaste, bread, flowers, and of course Sarajevsko, the local beer. Although shops like these are not visible in all parts of Sarajevo because construction continues on new industrialized shopping centers, these stores give the city a much more friendly and welcoming ambiance.

For example, as can be seen in the photograph above, may Sarajevans are drawn to Zelena Pijaca Markale (The Markale Produce Market) to shop for fresh fruits and vegetables. Although it is not easily visible now, during the war the marketplace “was the place of crime on two occasions. First, on the Ferhadija Street in May 1992 when the people waiting to buy bread were shot by a shell, and the second time, in front of the back entrance to the Markale in 1995, when 37 people were killed and 85 were heavily wounded” (Dizdar, 140).