It was now early 1990, and the search for a first store location in Budapest was under way. In a major U.S. city, we would have contacted a commercial real estate agent and asked him or her to show us...

It was now early 1990, and the search for a first store location in Budapest was under way. In a major U.S. city, we would have contacted a commercial real estate agent and asked him or her to show us what was available. Not possible in Budapest in 1990. There was no organized real estate market. Nearly all retail space—what there was of it—was owned and controlled by the government. Even if you found vacant space, it was never clear with whom you needed to talk. So we spent most of 1990 and early 1991 being led down one blind alley after another.