PAPA CRISTO
I’ve been coming here since I was four or fiveyears old. My parents have always brought me here.
Wonderful. Well I’m happy.
When I first moved down here, Finley said this is the place you gotta go. A little slice of home.
I mean for me it is home.
Where are you from in Greece?
Constantinople.
Were you born there?
I was born here, my dad was born there. My dad came here in 1914, and my mom was from that region also. But she was born here in Fresno. That part of the family came from Saranta Ekklisies, it means 40 churches, next to the Bulgarian border.
And how old was your father when he came here?
He came here in 1914, and he was 14-years-old. I don’t know if the numbers are fudged or not. He came straight to Los Angeles. His sister had an arranged marriage, and they grabbed my dad and brought him here. They had a horse, they used to go to the vegetable market down on San Pedro Street, (downtown LA) take the horse, load the wagon and take the horse back. Then he’d change and go to school on the other side of downtown.
This place started as a market, so how did your father initially start it?
He had done a lot of things, being young and single, and a bunch of other Greek kids were young and single. They had their group, they started little businesses, one opened a market, one opened a restaurant, you know, and they’d all fail. (Laughing) My dad was working as a handshake partner at the Marathon Cafe down on Fourth and Los Angeles Street, it was sort of a Greek hub down there. Charles Skouras was one of his buddies, founded Saint Sophia, he said “I’m gonna start the church on Pico and Normandie, and there’s an empty piece of property.” It just happened that John Julius, who was one of his buddies said, “I’ll buy it.” So he bought the corner. And it was totally empty. There was nothing here. The corner was the second original Safeway. But where my store is now, there was nothing. It was an empty lot. My dad opened this in 1948.
There are not many places in LA that’ve been open since the 40’s.
70 something years, and I have been working here for 65 years. I used to come to work with my dad on weekends.
So you’ve had every job here.
Of course.
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What was your favorite?
You know what? I didn’t have a favorite. I just did everything that was needed. I never felt entitled. I just worked. Because I liked it. I remember one time, my dad had a barbecue. You know, all those old guys that were his buddies became mature, and had families. A couple of the guys said to me, “Chris, what are you going to do when you grow up? Fireman?” “Nope.” “Doctor?” “Nope.” “What are you gonna do?” And at that time, we only had the market. I said, “I’m gonna be a grocery man. Like my dad.” I remember telling them that. The Sephardic Jews were a big part of our growth, they would go downtown, go to the flower market, pass by my dad. He had a stove in the back, he had coffee going, soup going. So they come by, grab a little something, buy a few things and take off. It was a morning social center. I just thought that was the coolest thing. All these guys came in here, they were pioneers. I mean, they came here with no language, they were determined, they worked hard, I had beautiful guidance from these guys coming in here. It was a blessing, you couldn’t get a better education than this. It was tremendous, and as I grew up my high school years, I just had a lot of fun here. I didn’t have pressure to do it. I just wanted to do it. I grew up here, (pointing to his apron) I don’t even call this an apron.
What do you call it?
A badge of honor. I’m very proud to put it on every morning.
That’s a beautiful thing. Would you visit Greece when you were younger?
No, I didn’t go until I was 20. I bought a VW bus. I went through 11 countries and I ended up going through Italy hopping on the ferry boat coming to Greece. And then came out the other way, left through Serbia. We picked it up in Brussels. Then just drove through France and Spain, anytime we saw students, picked them up. We’d sleep outdoors, on the beach, in fields.
It’s so rare to have an establishment, let alone a restaurant that’s been open for so long. I grew up here. I’m 24-years-old, Achilleas has been here for more than 10 years now. We’ve seen a lot of change happen in LA, but I can’t imagine how much change you have witnessed.
Our core stayed the same. We never changed what our goal was. It is to be the best Greek store and the best Greek restaurant that we could be. I’ve got vendors that my dad had 70 years ago, because they’re in business to do a good job.
How do you do that? How do you keep something consistent in a changing world?
I’ve never thought of stiffing my suppliers, if they make a mistake, send one too many. We’re on the phone to tell them, because I expect the same from them. My job as one of their vendors is to respect what they do. Their job is to respect what I do.
So through mutual respect.
![]()
I don’t want you to send me stuff that’s out of date, I’m gonna send your check on time. If something’s not right, I call them up and tell them.
But in the end, that makes a more lasting relationship.
Of course it does, because I can count on them. And they can count on me. There was a Greek man, Tatiatous, who was here on a tour with other olive oil and olive producers in Greece. And they stopped here. I said, “Come back here.” So that night, he came back, we sat in the back, cracked a bottle of wine, got some cheese and spent time visiting each other. I told him I want to buy some olives. He goes, “Okay, you’re going to fill out a credit app.” I said, “I’ve never done that in my life.” He said, “Okay.” Because everybody I’ve done business with, knew us. I’ve never done a letter of credit.
How was it when you first opened the restaurant? It sounded like your father had the soup and coffee, so it wasn’t out of the blue.
It was new. Because the guys that were getting the soups and stuff, they had stopped a long time ago. They got old. There was another fella who used to work here. Who wanted to open it with me. We opened it together. And it was opened under the name of Yia Yia’s Kitchen. Because he had a place over where the Bicycle Club was. So he was here for a while and then it didn’t really work out with him. He didn’t want to use the cash register. (Laughing) So anyway, we came to an agreement one day, I changed the name to Papa Cristo’s, we were selling hamburgers, pastrami and fries at the time. I took that down. I said “I don’t want to see hamburgers again here.” So then we started doing our Greek restaurant our way.
What year was that?
1990.
Where do all the recipes come from? Outside of Thessaloniki, I’ve never had a better lamb chop.
My family, we want to have – we really do – the best food that we can. We compete with ourselves every day. We don’t compete with anybody else. I don’t go to other Greek restaurants. I don’t want to see what they do. I live in Huntington Beach, and we used to drive home through Long Beach, and there’s a place called George’s there. My cousin and I would stop at George’s, get a bottle of wine, get some appetizers, then go home. A friend of mine went to George’s one day, and he said, “You know, Chrys? He comes here to steal my recipes.” That was it. I refuse to go to other Greek restaurants. So silly. And you know what? On the weekends, when any of the other Greek restaurants run out of stuff, they come here. I give them whatever they need. You know, Tony’s (Taverna Tony) he used to run out of pita every other weekend, he’d send his guy down here.
No way.
Yeah, no, it’s okay. It’s the way it’s supposed to be. We’re like a brotherhood, Greek restaurants should be somehow connected.
![]()
Since the restaurant opened in the 90s, what have you found was the greatest hurdle?
For a while, it was getting help and having people understand what we do. And then we got really great people here. You know, the girls that are behind the counter that are cooking, they’ve been here for 28 years, raised their kids here. I mean, it’s a real neat family. I come in here in the morning, I feel like I’m coming home. It’s the best. Nobody has it like I do. It’s an amazing feeling when I come here.
A good team is necessary.
Oh my God, I won’t hire someone, even if I need them. Unless I feel that they’re going to mesh with the rest of the people. I can’t do it. I can’t make anybody unhappy just to fulfill a spot. And they know that. Most times, I have the team interview a new person. I don’t just throw them in, because it’s not fair to them. They’re working side by side. It’s an amazing place.
I mean, I can tell, you can see how everything is operated so smoothly and it feels real.
![]()
It feels real and tastes real. Because it is real. My wife, we’ve been married 47 years. She’s still amazed that I can get up and take off in the morning. “Don’t you get tired?” Yeah a little bit, but you got to.
That sense of a real family shows, even the gentleman who brought the food out, whenever he brings food out, it looks like he’s having the best time. No one here has a scowl on their face. They’re excited for you to eat the food. Try something new. Drink some wine.
We’re very particular, if any food doesn’t look right, there’s no negotiation. It’s out.
I feel like since I was six-years-old, every other place in LA I’ve ever gone to has changed or disappeared or is now under new management. And this place, I walk in and it’s the same beautiful place I remember from being a kid.
I’m excited about that. We’re on our fourth generation. Grandfather’s bringing their kids. Little kids are walking in, I can hear, “Is he here?” Those are things that really give you energy.
When you go home, do you cook anything for yourself?
Not now, my Sundays and Mondays are my barbecue days. But I’m good. I am very pleased with my life. I’m pleased with my children’s lives.
How many children?
I have two daughters and three grandchildren. We’re all going to Greece.
Where do you like to go in Greece?
Anywhere. Anywhere you go it’ll be your best place.
And honestly, if you haven’t heard of it, it’s probably better.
Any restaurant you go to, will be the best restaurant you’ve been in. They’re gonna take good care. The food is tremendous over there, and the tomatoes. So you notice my tomatoes are the best. We age them. So they become that rich flavor. We buy them early, and keep them for an extra week. So they can become beautiful. We don’t like green tomatoes.
What is something about Los Angeles that’s kind of kept you here, that has made you love this place?
This is a really old area, really old. And it’s a very economically deprived area. I mean, it’s the poorest neighborhood in LA. Because you go further south, those people get food stamps and welfare. These people don’t. They’re original immigrants. They don’t get all those economic benefits. So the standard of living is good. But the economy’s terrible. Because these people take great pride in raising their families and taking care of what they have. It’s an area I like, I’m proud to be here, I’ve had millions of opportunities to get out. I don’t want to get out. You want to see something funny? You drive around the neighborhood, every building has graffiti on it. Except one. This one.
Why is that?
Because they respect us, earlier when the gangs used to spend more time killing each other. I’d send food to the funerals. Because they…they were gang members. But they were okay. We never had an issue with gang problems. Other stores do. I don’t. My walls show it. You have to respect people, and they’ll respect you. It’s easy. You have to give it first, then you’ll receive it.
But that’s the same as the olive vendor trusting you without the credit application.
![]()
I walk the walk, I talk the talk. This is what I truly believe. And my children truly believe it because they’ve watched me all these years. For a while one of my daughters worked with me. She got married, and when she told me that she was going to move, we sat upstairs and cried for five hours. And before my other daughter went to school, I’d cry every night. She said, “Dad, I’m going to go to Cornell.” And I said, “Can you drive there? Can you sleep at home?” You do what you got to do. In Greece, you know what they say, “opa yis kai patris.” Where you live, that’s your palace. You make it your palace.
I mean, what a beautiful palace you have here. You are an example for everyone around here.
I want to show a good example. People when they’re opening stores, they come talk to me. I tell them the stuff you have to do, but you have to want to do it. You can’t just do it. Put it on paper, no it has to come from inside. Your energy has to be your own fire from within. You got to build your fire. Nobody’s gonna initiate the idea for you, you have to build your own fire.
We wake up every morning, thinking about this magazine, how we can keep making it happen. And of course, there are days where you think, “I don’t know will this ever work?” – we’re human.
Those days for you are gonna come less and less. Those issues that you have now are gonna start fading away. Because you will have done everything. You will overcome everything. So the mountains will be little hills. We’ve gone through some really tough times here. We had a riot down the street, the L.A. riot was right down the street. It was crazy. My wife was watching TV and said, ”You can’t go back there.” My kids, little kids saying, “Can’t go to the store Dad.” Everybody has guns at their house. Five o’clock in the morning the phone rang. My wife says, “You promised.” I said “It’s over. I’m on my way.” I jumped in my car, had my gun sitting on the side, I drove up. You couldn’t see through all the smoke. Everything was burning. I thought I was going to find tinders here. And this place is blessed, I got to tell you, I went up Washington Hill, came in and we didn’t have that fence, and I stepped on the gas and drove into the parking lot at 30 miles an hour. I was gonna run over anybody I found. Nobody here, looked around, thought to myself, ‘They’re inside waiting for me.’ I opened the door, the alarm didn’t go. I realized the power went off and that’s what sent the alarm, there was nobody here. So I had this electrician, I said, ”Come down here.” I just happened to have these really long electrical cords. I said, ”Hook me up to the next door neighbor.” Because the power grid on Normandie is separate from mine. So we went out, I was open. I had power. Nothing spoiled.
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Papa Cristo comes out unscathed. I mean that is profound. Everything was on fire.
On Western there were fires, the Koreans were on the rooftops. But it’s good now.
What do you look forward to?
Just having a good clean day, taking care of the little things.
What are your dreams for the future?
Well, I have a difficult thing moving forward. My children do not want this. I’m 79 and I can’t go on forever. Right now I’m good, so I don’t know what is going to end up happening to the store. It makes me sad to think that it could get closed. And I’m concerned about selling to somebody because it’s gonna become too monetary for them. We say, when business is slow, put more food on the plate. Everybody else takes food off. So I’m worried about what’s going to happen to my legacy. I don’t know if it could get better. I don’t know how to answer that question right now. But my mom died at 102. So I got time.
How long did you and your dad work together?
1960 to 1985. My mom never worked with my dad. After my dad died she said, “Can I come in and help you?” I said, “Yeah.” She came in every day. The most blessed thing. Working with my dad. My mom. And then when my mom stopped, my daughter came in.
I think this place will find a way of figuring out, I mean you got like 23 years to figure it out.
I got some answers coming.
Wonderful. Well I’m happy.
When I first moved down here, Finley said this is the place you gotta go. A little slice of home.
I mean for me it is home.
Where are you from in Greece?
Constantinople.
Were you born there?
I was born here, my dad was born there. My dad came here in 1914, and my mom was from that region also. But she was born here in Fresno. That part of the family came from Saranta Ekklisies, it means 40 churches, next to the Bulgarian border.
And how old was your father when he came here?
He came here in 1914, and he was 14-years-old. I don’t know if the numbers are fudged or not. He came straight to Los Angeles. His sister had an arranged marriage, and they grabbed my dad and brought him here. They had a horse, they used to go to the vegetable market down on San Pedro Street, (downtown LA) take the horse, load the wagon and take the horse back. Then he’d change and go to school on the other side of downtown.
This place started as a market, so how did your father initially start it?
He had done a lot of things, being young and single, and a bunch of other Greek kids were young and single. They had their group, they started little businesses, one opened a market, one opened a restaurant, you know, and they’d all fail. (Laughing) My dad was working as a handshake partner at the Marathon Cafe down on Fourth and Los Angeles Street, it was sort of a Greek hub down there. Charles Skouras was one of his buddies, founded Saint Sophia, he said “I’m gonna start the church on Pico and Normandie, and there’s an empty piece of property.” It just happened that John Julius, who was one of his buddies said, “I’ll buy it.” So he bought the corner. And it was totally empty. There was nothing here. The corner was the second original Safeway. But where my store is now, there was nothing. It was an empty lot. My dad opened this in 1948.
There are not many places in LA that’ve been open since the 40’s.
70 something years, and I have been working here for 65 years. I used to come to work with my dad on weekends.
So you’ve had every job here.
Of course.
What was your favorite?
You know what? I didn’t have a favorite. I just did everything that was needed. I never felt entitled. I just worked. Because I liked it. I remember one time, my dad had a barbecue. You know, all those old guys that were his buddies became mature, and had families. A couple of the guys said to me, “Chris, what are you going to do when you grow up? Fireman?” “Nope.” “Doctor?” “Nope.” “What are you gonna do?” And at that time, we only had the market. I said, “I’m gonna be a grocery man. Like my dad.” I remember telling them that. The Sephardic Jews were a big part of our growth, they would go downtown, go to the flower market, pass by my dad. He had a stove in the back, he had coffee going, soup going. So they come by, grab a little something, buy a few things and take off. It was a morning social center. I just thought that was the coolest thing. All these guys came in here, they were pioneers. I mean, they came here with no language, they were determined, they worked hard, I had beautiful guidance from these guys coming in here. It was a blessing, you couldn’t get a better education than this. It was tremendous, and as I grew up my high school years, I just had a lot of fun here. I didn’t have pressure to do it. I just wanted to do it. I grew up here, (pointing to his apron) I don’t even call this an apron.
What do you call it?
A badge of honor. I’m very proud to put it on every morning.
That’s a beautiful thing. Would you visit Greece when you were younger?
No, I didn’t go until I was 20. I bought a VW bus. I went through 11 countries and I ended up going through Italy hopping on the ferry boat coming to Greece. And then came out the other way, left through Serbia. We picked it up in Brussels. Then just drove through France and Spain, anytime we saw students, picked them up. We’d sleep outdoors, on the beach, in fields.
It’s so rare to have an establishment, let alone a restaurant that’s been open for so long. I grew up here. I’m 24-years-old, Achilleas has been here for more than 10 years now. We’ve seen a lot of change happen in LA, but I can’t imagine how much change you have witnessed.
Our core stayed the same. We never changed what our goal was. It is to be the best Greek store and the best Greek restaurant that we could be. I’ve got vendors that my dad had 70 years ago, because they’re in business to do a good job.
How do you do that? How do you keep something consistent in a changing world?
I’ve never thought of stiffing my suppliers, if they make a mistake, send one too many. We’re on the phone to tell them, because I expect the same from them. My job as one of their vendors is to respect what they do. Their job is to respect what I do.
So through mutual respect.
I don’t want you to send me stuff that’s out of date, I’m gonna send your check on time. If something’s not right, I call them up and tell them.
But in the end, that makes a more lasting relationship.
Of course it does, because I can count on them. And they can count on me. There was a Greek man, Tatiatous, who was here on a tour with other olive oil and olive producers in Greece. And they stopped here. I said, “Come back here.” So that night, he came back, we sat in the back, cracked a bottle of wine, got some cheese and spent time visiting each other. I told him I want to buy some olives. He goes, “Okay, you’re going to fill out a credit app.” I said, “I’ve never done that in my life.” He said, “Okay.” Because everybody I’ve done business with, knew us. I’ve never done a letter of credit.
How was it when you first opened the restaurant? It sounded like your father had the soup and coffee, so it wasn’t out of the blue.
It was new. Because the guys that were getting the soups and stuff, they had stopped a long time ago. They got old. There was another fella who used to work here. Who wanted to open it with me. We opened it together. And it was opened under the name of Yia Yia’s Kitchen. Because he had a place over where the Bicycle Club was. So he was here for a while and then it didn’t really work out with him. He didn’t want to use the cash register. (Laughing) So anyway, we came to an agreement one day, I changed the name to Papa Cristo’s, we were selling hamburgers, pastrami and fries at the time. I took that down. I said “I don’t want to see hamburgers again here.” So then we started doing our Greek restaurant our way.
What year was that?
1990.
Where do all the recipes come from? Outside of Thessaloniki, I’ve never had a better lamb chop.
My family, we want to have – we really do – the best food that we can. We compete with ourselves every day. We don’t compete with anybody else. I don’t go to other Greek restaurants. I don’t want to see what they do. I live in Huntington Beach, and we used to drive home through Long Beach, and there’s a place called George’s there. My cousin and I would stop at George’s, get a bottle of wine, get some appetizers, then go home. A friend of mine went to George’s one day, and he said, “You know, Chrys? He comes here to steal my recipes.” That was it. I refuse to go to other Greek restaurants. So silly. And you know what? On the weekends, when any of the other Greek restaurants run out of stuff, they come here. I give them whatever they need. You know, Tony’s (Taverna Tony) he used to run out of pita every other weekend, he’d send his guy down here.
No way.
Yeah, no, it’s okay. It’s the way it’s supposed to be. We’re like a brotherhood, Greek restaurants should be somehow connected.
Since the restaurant opened in the 90s, what have you found was the greatest hurdle?
For a while, it was getting help and having people understand what we do. And then we got really great people here. You know, the girls that are behind the counter that are cooking, they’ve been here for 28 years, raised their kids here. I mean, it’s a real neat family. I come in here in the morning, I feel like I’m coming home. It’s the best. Nobody has it like I do. It’s an amazing feeling when I come here.
A good team is necessary.
Oh my God, I won’t hire someone, even if I need them. Unless I feel that they’re going to mesh with the rest of the people. I can’t do it. I can’t make anybody unhappy just to fulfill a spot. And they know that. Most times, I have the team interview a new person. I don’t just throw them in, because it’s not fair to them. They’re working side by side. It’s an amazing place.
I mean, I can tell, you can see how everything is operated so smoothly and it feels real.
It feels real and tastes real. Because it is real. My wife, we’ve been married 47 years. She’s still amazed that I can get up and take off in the morning. “Don’t you get tired?” Yeah a little bit, but you got to.
That sense of a real family shows, even the gentleman who brought the food out, whenever he brings food out, it looks like he’s having the best time. No one here has a scowl on their face. They’re excited for you to eat the food. Try something new. Drink some wine.
We’re very particular, if any food doesn’t look right, there’s no negotiation. It’s out.
I feel like since I was six-years-old, every other place in LA I’ve ever gone to has changed or disappeared or is now under new management. And this place, I walk in and it’s the same beautiful place I remember from being a kid.
I’m excited about that. We’re on our fourth generation. Grandfather’s bringing their kids. Little kids are walking in, I can hear, “Is he here?” Those are things that really give you energy.
When you go home, do you cook anything for yourself?
Not now, my Sundays and Mondays are my barbecue days. But I’m good. I am very pleased with my life. I’m pleased with my children’s lives.
How many children?
I have two daughters and three grandchildren. We’re all going to Greece.
Where do you like to go in Greece?
Anywhere. Anywhere you go it’ll be your best place.
And honestly, if you haven’t heard of it, it’s probably better.
Any restaurant you go to, will be the best restaurant you’ve been in. They’re gonna take good care. The food is tremendous over there, and the tomatoes. So you notice my tomatoes are the best. We age them. So they become that rich flavor. We buy them early, and keep them for an extra week. So they can become beautiful. We don’t like green tomatoes.
What is something about Los Angeles that’s kind of kept you here, that has made you love this place?
This is a really old area, really old. And it’s a very economically deprived area. I mean, it’s the poorest neighborhood in LA. Because you go further south, those people get food stamps and welfare. These people don’t. They’re original immigrants. They don’t get all those economic benefits. So the standard of living is good. But the economy’s terrible. Because these people take great pride in raising their families and taking care of what they have. It’s an area I like, I’m proud to be here, I’ve had millions of opportunities to get out. I don’t want to get out. You want to see something funny? You drive around the neighborhood, every building has graffiti on it. Except one. This one.
Why is that?
Because they respect us, earlier when the gangs used to spend more time killing each other. I’d send food to the funerals. Because they…they were gang members. But they were okay. We never had an issue with gang problems. Other stores do. I don’t. My walls show it. You have to respect people, and they’ll respect you. It’s easy. You have to give it first, then you’ll receive it.
But that’s the same as the olive vendor trusting you without the credit application.
I walk the walk, I talk the talk. This is what I truly believe. And my children truly believe it because they’ve watched me all these years. For a while one of my daughters worked with me. She got married, and when she told me that she was going to move, we sat upstairs and cried for five hours. And before my other daughter went to school, I’d cry every night. She said, “Dad, I’m going to go to Cornell.” And I said, “Can you drive there? Can you sleep at home?” You do what you got to do. In Greece, you know what they say, “opa yis kai patris.” Where you live, that’s your palace. You make it your palace.
I mean, what a beautiful palace you have here. You are an example for everyone around here.
I want to show a good example. People when they’re opening stores, they come talk to me. I tell them the stuff you have to do, but you have to want to do it. You can’t just do it. Put it on paper, no it has to come from inside. Your energy has to be your own fire from within. You got to build your fire. Nobody’s gonna initiate the idea for you, you have to build your own fire.
We wake up every morning, thinking about this magazine, how we can keep making it happen. And of course, there are days where you think, “I don’t know will this ever work?” – we’re human.
Those days for you are gonna come less and less. Those issues that you have now are gonna start fading away. Because you will have done everything. You will overcome everything. So the mountains will be little hills. We’ve gone through some really tough times here. We had a riot down the street, the L.A. riot was right down the street. It was crazy. My wife was watching TV and said, ”You can’t go back there.” My kids, little kids saying, “Can’t go to the store Dad.” Everybody has guns at their house. Five o’clock in the morning the phone rang. My wife says, “You promised.” I said “It’s over. I’m on my way.” I jumped in my car, had my gun sitting on the side, I drove up. You couldn’t see through all the smoke. Everything was burning. I thought I was going to find tinders here. And this place is blessed, I got to tell you, I went up Washington Hill, came in and we didn’t have that fence, and I stepped on the gas and drove into the parking lot at 30 miles an hour. I was gonna run over anybody I found. Nobody here, looked around, thought to myself, ‘They’re inside waiting for me.’ I opened the door, the alarm didn’t go. I realized the power went off and that’s what sent the alarm, there was nobody here. So I had this electrician, I said, ”Come down here.” I just happened to have these really long electrical cords. I said, ”Hook me up to the next door neighbor.” Because the power grid on Normandie is separate from mine. So we went out, I was open. I had power. Nothing spoiled.
Papa Cristo comes out unscathed. I mean that is profound. Everything was on fire.
On Western there were fires, the Koreans were on the rooftops. But it’s good now.
What do you look forward to?
Just having a good clean day, taking care of the little things.
What are your dreams for the future?
Well, I have a difficult thing moving forward. My children do not want this. I’m 79 and I can’t go on forever. Right now I’m good, so I don’t know what is going to end up happening to the store. It makes me sad to think that it could get closed. And I’m concerned about selling to somebody because it’s gonna become too monetary for them. We say, when business is slow, put more food on the plate. Everybody else takes food off. So I’m worried about what’s going to happen to my legacy. I don’t know if it could get better. I don’t know how to answer that question right now. But my mom died at 102. So I got time.
How long did you and your dad work together?
1960 to 1985. My mom never worked with my dad. After my dad died she said, “Can I come in and help you?” I said, “Yeah.” She came in every day. The most blessed thing. Working with my dad. My mom. And then when my mom stopped, my daughter came in.
I think this place will find a way of figuring out, I mean you got like 23 years to figure it out.
I got some answers coming.
Thank you papa, for everything
