At Flora, grocery shopping comes with neon lights, cocktails, rare Champagne and a live DJ—because even everyday errands receive the full Mykonos treatment.
Mykonos has beach clubs, designer boutiques, celebrity restaurants, sprawling villas and some of the most expensive hotel rooms in the Mediterranean.
Apparently, that was not enough.
The island also has a supermarket with a live DJ.
Located just steps from Mykonos Airport, Flora Supermarket has transformed the ordinary act of grocery shopping into something that feels considerably more Mykonian.
Inside, neon lighting, oversized screens and contemporary design create an atmosphere closer to an upscale lounge than a neighborhood grocery store. Music is supplied by an in-store DJ, and shoppers have been known to dance between the aisles.
There is also a bar, naturally, where customers can take a break from selecting tomatoes, bottled water and household supplies to enjoy a cocktail.
Because on Mykonos, even the weekly grocery run apparently requires bottle service.
The store still carries all the basics one would expect, including fresh fruit and vegetables, bread, cheese, cold cuts and household essentials. But the shelves and display cases also reflect the international and often extremely well-heeled clientele that descends on the island every summer.
The airport store includes a gourmet delicatessen and Cava Flora 84600, an extensive wine and spirits department named for the island’s postal code.
Its collection ranges from Greek wines and everyday bottles to rare vintages from major international wine regions. Premium spirits and Champagne are available in formats stretching well beyond the standard bottle, including magnums, jeroboams, methuselahs and the enormous 30-liter bottle known as a Midas.
That last option is probably unnecessary for dinner at the villa.
But this is Mykonos, where “unnecessary” has never been much of a deterrent.
The wine department also includes a climate-controlled preservation chamber intended to protect valuable bottles from fluctuations in temperature and humidity. Nearby, the delicatessen offers imported truffles, artisanal cheeses, handmade pasta, sauces, premium olive oils and other gourmet products from Greece and abroad.
It is an impressive evolution for a business that began on a far more modest scale.
The story of Flora dates to 1970, when Mykonians Giannis and Flora Kontaratos opened a small food and beverage business. Nearly two decades later, in 1989, the family opened its full supermarket near the airport.
The business expanded as Mykonos grew into one of the world’s most recognizable tourism destinations. Flora eventually opened additional locations, while also developing a wholesale operation supplying restaurants, hotels and bars across the island.
Today, the family operates supermarkets near the airport and in Vothonas, with a new generation of the Kontaratos family continuing the business.
The extravagant airport location may be the one that attracts the most attention, but Flora’s combination of everyday groceries and luxury goods reflects the curious dual identity of modern Mykonos.
The island still needs bread, milk, vegetables and cleaning products. It also needs rare Burgundy, imported truffles and enormous bottles of Champagne delivered to private villas and beach clubs.
Flora manages to put both worlds beneath the same roof—and adds a DJ booth for good measure.
It is easy to dismiss the concept as another example of Mykonian excess. But there is also something clever about it. Flora understands that many people visiting the island are not simply buying products. They are buying into the wider Mykonos experience, where almost anything can be elevated, redesigned and given a soundtrack and a beat.
Even grocery shopping.
So, yes, you can stop at Flora for bread, feta and a few bottles of water.
Just don’t be surprised if you leave with a cocktail, a rare Champagne and a sudden urge to dance beside the produce section.
Only in Mykonos.
