A Mall Made for Millionaires

Moscow may have more billionaires than any other city in the world, but what about those with a mere million to their name?
The Millionaire Fair, which began on the edge of Moscow on Saturday, is not a chance to buy one of those young millionaires -- and there were 88,000 declared millionaires in the country at last count. Instead, it offers a brief glimpse -- at 1,000 rubles per visit, or $250 for VIP tickets -- of a luxury lifestyle few will ever touch, including the opportunity to buy a helicopter, a Bentley, a whole island, hair-transplant surgery or a dress that literally smells of money.
The fair, which runs through Wednesday, was founded by Yves Gijrath, the general director of Gijrath Media Group, in Amsterdam three years ago and brought to Moscow together with Independent Media, which publishes The Moscow Times.
Housed in Crocus Expo, next to the Crocus City shopping center on the Moscow Ring Road, the Millionaire Fair has turned the exhibition center into a mall for the rich for a few days. Instead of piped music, Bryan Ferry sang live to visitors on the opening night, even if they seemed more interested in the buffet.

The attributes of luxury were everywhere: expensive cars, helicopters with prices starting at a quarter of a million dollars, furs, bodyguards, women with cheekbones you could cut diamonds on and dangerous black cats -- a young panther was an essential part of one stand selling suitcases.
When asked what the panther had to do with suitcases, its handler said after a brief pause, "Exclusive panther. Exclusive suitcase." She carried on scratching the panther, which promptly fell off its exclusive suitcase.
"I was impressed," said Rostislav Ordovsky-Tanayevsky Blanco, the millionaire businessman behind the Rostik's chain and other restaurants. "Ten years ago, this would never have happened. It's like a century has gone past."
Some 6,000 to 7,000 people were expected to visit the fair on Sunday alone, said co-organizer Derk Sauer, the CEO of Independent Media.
"It's spectacular. The exhibitors are really excited," Sauer said, adding that millions of exhibits had been sold by late Sunday. "Last night, an island was sold, and that is $10 million."

A sports car and helicopter on display at the Millionaire Fair on Sunday.
Moscow might be remembered for Forbes magazine's 2004 report that named it the world's billionaire capital, with 33 billionaires. New York, in comparison, boasted 31.
Just having money was not enough for some people on opening night.
"It is mainly New Russians here. It is not Muscovites," said one man, who said he was a real estate millionaire but refused to give his name as he stood watching with a cynical eye on the opening night. "Mainly, it's people who want to eat for free.
"It is only the nouveaux riches, and they don't understand the price of money," he said. "They see, come and buy. A real person with capital will find what he wants at a cheaper price. That's the position of a millionaire."
Others found the whole affair distasteful.
"It is an illusion, like everything in this country," said Eldar, a banker who would not give his last name and conceded that he was not a millionaire.
"I find the selling of Lamborghinis strange, considering the state of the roads in the country," he said. "It is stupid. Where can you go in a Lamborghini? Try going to the Tula region.
"The only thing they really want here is a picture of themselves with Putin so they can hang it up," he said, before adding, "and that is very expensive."
Visitors relaxing on sofas with "Where there is enjoyment -- there am I" cushions in the Crocus Expo center.

Indian millionaire Jimmy Kotwani, the owner of Imperial Tailoring, apparently did not feel the same way as he admired a new Mercedes on display. "There are lots of things I'm interested in," he said. "I am fond of diamonds."
While there were no diamonds at the Krokin Gallery stand, there was something dearer to many people's hearts: money.

The Krokin Gallery was offering two sets of clothing -- a man's suit and a ballroom dress, and a suit and a skirt and top -- woven out of $1 bills, 500 ruble bills and 100 ruble bills, in an idea that might both mine and undermine the whole idea of the fair.
"Sit here for five minutes, and you can see how people are greedy for money," said manager Irina Nemets, before stopping to tell a passerby to stop touching the dress made of 500 ruble notes. "They're drawn to it," she said.
The dresses, made by Dmitry Tvsvetkov, are on sale for $15,000 for a pair.
"There were rich people here," Nemets said about the opening night. "They also wanted to touch, like children."