When Themistocles Godelas moved from Greece to Chicago in 1915, he wanted to give people a way to appreciate Greek culture. He knew that he could not cook the best to make a restaurant, but he thought about connecting to people through something else – religion.

 

“My father was a man of great faith,” said his daughter, Jean Paspalas. “He knew that this is something that countless people have in common. He thought that it could be something that could build a community,” she said.

 

Creating a community that is connected through various faiths is still the goal of Godelas’ shop, Athenian Candle, located at 300 S. Halsted St., since 1922. Today, the store impacts the city of Chicago by providing a wide variety of religious goods from menorahs to handheld copies of the Bible.

 

“Since I almost grew up in this store, there are so many familiar faces I see all the time,” Pasaplas said. “At the same time, I also see a constant stream of new faces coming into the shop. It makes my father so happy to see that his deeply held faith and love of people allowed us to continue his mission of serving the community through religion.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A traditional shop evolving with the times

 

While Athenian Candle sells a large variety of religious goods, its main and most popular items for sale are the candles they have. When the store first opened, Godelas sold candles he obtained from his home in the store. As the shop became more popular in Greektown, he decided that instead of bringing in items from his country, he would make the items in his shop.

“He [Themistocles] believed that people want to buy something that you personally make,” Paspalas said. “That was a reason why the shop became so popular in the city. My father always put a lot of effort into everything he made, something that people always noted with his items.”

 

Quality is something that Godelas took a lot of pride with the candles that he made. To this day, each of the candles are made with a mix of pure paraffin and beeswax. In using these for candle creation, Godelas created candles that would last and burn for a long time. The durability of the candles is something that Godelas worked to perfect for customers.

 

“When my father promised you a quality item, he would make sure that you got it,” Paspalas said. “There were times where I would see him stay even after hours in the shop to make sure that orders were filled and improved items if a customer had any issues with them.”

 

While Godelas made sure that all the items in the shop were handmade, his family needed to find a way to keep business booming as the years went on for the store.

 

“When we asked people how they heard of our store, they would tell us that they heard about it from a friend,” Paspalas stated. “It is good that we get business by word of mouth, but that is still not enough to make sure our shop stays afloat,” Paspalas said.

 

To help increase business, Paspalas took the business online at the start of 2001. People would be able to create an account on their website and would be able to purchase any items needed for in-store pickup.

 

“When we do this, we make sure that everything is ready to go when the customer comes in to get their order,” she says. “However, we have people pick up their items in the store so we have a chance to interact with them. Doing this allows us to be more personable with our customers and build a relationship with them. It is doing this that helps us develop that sense of community with them.”

 

With his family going to Athenian Candle for many items during his childhood, Nick Tzortzis thought that going to the store to pick up the items made for a better experience. In going to the store, his family got to know more about the Godelas family and had more personal interactions with them.

 

“It was always nice going into Athenian Candle whenever we needed to get something,” he said. “When they would chat, and joke with us in the store, they made us feel like we were a part of their family and it made us feel more important.”

 

Keeping Greek culture alive in Chicago and the country

 

Whiles candles and religious goods are the main items of Athenian Candle, the store also sells items that keep Greek culture alive in the city. With Chicago having the third highest Greek population in the United States at 93,264, the store sells a variety of items that allow people to learn more about the culture. As the oldest shop to continue in Greek Town, the store makes sure that people can learn about Greece.

 

“As someone who is a Greek American, I am always surprised to find out how little people know about the culture,” Tzortzis said. “The country has a very rich history. There is so much you can learn about the place and its people just with some of the items you see at Athenian Candle.”

 

Improving the understanding of Greek culture comes from several of the books sold in the store. According to Paspalas, two books that are sold quite often are “A Guide to Greek Customs and Traditions in America” and “Greektown Chicago”, sold for $30 each.

 

“Reading through these books, they provide people a good understanding of the culture and how it evolved over the years,” Tzortzis said. “The book also gives an idea as to what it was like living in Greektown when they first came to the city. These books help people appreciate the culture more so it is not too surprising as why they are sold frequently at the store.”

 

A store of many faiths

 

Despite many of the religious goods in store being catered towards Greek-Orthodox people more, Athenian Candle does not limit its inventory to only Greek Orthodox goods. The store sells religious goods that appeal to a wide variety of faiths.

 

“My first time in there, I was looking for some incense to use,” said Ollie Urbanski. “However, after walking around there, I found that they had items like a necklace that had the Lutheran Rose and menorahs used for Hanukah.”

 

Urbanksi, who is a Lutheran, enjoyed how the store is considerate of other faiths and makes sure that many religions are considered and displayed in the store.

 

“For my father, it did not matter to him what your religion was,” Paspalas said. “He wanted this to be a place that anyone could have access to and feel like a part of a larger community.”