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George Georgiou with sister Christine and brother-in-law Chris |
Family moving on after 50 years
THEY have been a cornerstone of a community for 50 years, and the Cypriot food they specialise in has shaped the diets of thousands of families in Dartmouth Park.
But friends and regular shoppers who visit the Continental Provision Stores in York Rise are facing up to the news that the Georgiou family, who opened their popular shop in 1956, have decided to call it a day.
Giannagos and Kyryacou Georgiou moved to London from the Famagusta area in 1946. Their son, George, daughter Christine and son-in-law Chris now run the shop, which sells everything from fresh bread and milk, fruit and veg through to household goods.
But after more than 50 years of trading, the family have decided to sell up.
Christine said: “It has been a hard decision to make, but we have decided it is time.”
Giannagos ran a coffee shop when he was just 17 in Cyprus and turned his business acumen to establishing the Dartmouth Park store.
He began buying food from importers, giving his customers a taste of the Mediterranean and for a time in the 1960s and 1970s a cousin also ran one of London’s first dedicated pitta bread bakeries in Chetwynd Road.
The family’s roots have meant generations of people have been brought up on feta cheese, olives and pitta bread.
In the early days of the shop, Giannagos would buy a barrel of Cypriot olive oil which would sit in the storeroom at the back of the shop. Customers would bring their own bottles in to fill them up.
The shop was not self-service at first. “People would come in with their lists and we’d sort it out for them,” recalls George.
As well as specialist Cypriot goods, the shop has a reputation for its bread. Each Friday and Sunday they picked up chollah bread and bagels from bakers in Temple Fortune and Golders Green.
Christine said she would miss all the friends they had made over the years, but the family were looking forward to having more time to themselves.
“I want to enjoy time with my family and do some travelling,” she said. “We only recently began to take holidays. I want to go to Rome and Greece, and I have a son-in-law from Morocco who has said he will show us the country.”
George added: “I have seen generations grow up here – children become adults, and adults grow older. That is something I will definitely miss.”
The final day of business has yet to be confirmed as the shop is in the process of being sold to another store-keeper who plans to retain its character.
Regulars are planning a thank-you party: details can be found by emailing farewellgeorgious@gmail.com |
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