SACO — The Olympia Fruit Store, located on the corner of Main and Storer Streets, was for decades part of the fabric of downtown.
Though the store no longer exists, its impact on the community has now been memorialized by a plaque on the site where it once stood.
The Olympia Fruit Store was opened in the 1920s by Sam Anagnostis and Nick Janaros, who ran the store for more than 40 years. The building burned down in 1983.
John Anagnostis, son of the late Sam Anagnostis, stood Wednesday morning among friends, family, local business owners and city officials at a ceremony to dedicate the plaque.
Anagnostis, a natural story teller, entertained the crowd with stories of his father and Janaros, and working in the market.
Anagnostis said his father, a Greek immigrant, met Janaros while working in one of the local mills and the two decided to open a store together.
The store was open from 7 a.m. to midnight seven days a week.
“It was a landmark for many years,” said Anagnostis.
Anaganostis worked as a soda jerk, and all the syrups were homemade except for the Coca-Cola, he said. He would come in on Monday mornings to grate lemons and limes to make syrup for the popular lemon lime soda.
“So the lemon and lime was the major drink of the summer, as far as Olympia Fruit is concerned,” said Anagnostis.
Anagnostis also opened the store on Sundays, when alcohol could not be sold, to give his father and Janaros a break. By working in the store, he said he received the kind of education one can’t get in the classroom.
“The life lessons I learned in the store were amazing,” said Anagnostis. “ I carry them with me today.”
His father taught him to treat everyone the same, whether they worked in the mill or were a tourist in a fancy Cadillac, he said. Sam Anagnostis worked hard to provide for his family, his son said, and was a person who had high ethics and high standards. He also loved people.
“I hope I can do half as well in my lifetime as my Dad did in his lifetime,” said Anagnostis.
The property where the Olympia Fruit Store once stood is now a green space owned by Mark Johnston, who owns a sandwich and wine shop next to it.
Johnston said he was very proud to be able to honor the Anagnostis family.
There was a significant migration of Greek immigrants in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in the United States, and many Greeks came to the Saco-Biddeford area to work in the mills and later open businesses, said Johnston.
“There are many Greek families who shaped this community,” said Johnston.
Mayor Roland “Ron” Michaud said he was proud the Olympia Fruit Store had been part of Saco and the Greek community has been an asset to the city. The store was representative of immigrants who came to the community to make a better life for themselves and their families through “hard work and dedication,” he said.
— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 325 or egotthelf@journaltribune.com.
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