The Story of Demetrius Constantine Chionis (James Heonis) From
1920 to 1929
WHEN HE LEFT CEPHALONIA GREECE TO COME TO THE NEW
WORLD
In the summer of
1920, the uncle of Demetrius Constantine Chionis (James Heonis), Mr.
George Stephanatos, his mother's brother, came back home to the Greek Island
of Cephalonia (Kefallonia or Kefalloniá or Kefallinía) in Greece from
America to the village Caravados, which was about 4 miles southwest of the
village of Mousata.
He came with a plan
to build his unmarried sister a new home. He was already engaged to a good
looking young girl from the same village and when he finishes the house he will
marry her and take with him to America.
The uncle started the
house, and when it was about 80% completed with the help of Demetrius
Constantine Chionis (James Heonis), the uncle run out of money to finish
the house. He told Demetrius that he would pay him when he comes to America. Demetrius
had told his uncle earlier that he plans to go to America, the next year.
When the girl heard
the bad news that her future husband run out of money, she dissolved the
marriage, so he then left to go back to America.
After finishing his uncle’s house in January
1921, Demetrius Constantine Chionis (James Heonis) went to the village
of Mousata. There he told his family goodbye and that he will be leaving for
America. He went to the property he had on the mainland and sold it so he would
have some money for the trip to America.
Demetrius embarked on a freighter ship for America but he got
on the wrong ship and the ship's destination was for Genoa, Italy, so he
got off there. He got a job in Genoa, Italy until he could fine another freighter ship bound for America.
In about a month he
slipped on a freighter ship one night and nobody saw him. The ship left Genoa,
Italy and stopped in several ports before the ships crew found him. They
decided to let him stay on the ship. After a few days on the sea, the ships
cook got sick, and the captain told him to help in the kitchen and that's why
that when he came to America he knew how to cook a little.
After 4 to 5 weeks on
the sea, the ship landed in Norfolk, Virginia on Sunday May 29, 1921. Demetrius
Constantine Chionis (James Heonis) got off the ship and boarded a train for
Charleston, South Carolina where his uncle Mr. George Stephanatos was. When he
got there, his uncle paid him for finishing the house back home. Then his uncle
offered him a job, in the kitchen to wash dishes. This was the job that most
immigrants who come to America got first and because they do not know the
language. For about 5-6 months Demetrius did not speak much English.
One day, Demetrius
had a misunderstanding with the black cook in the kitchen. When his uncle heard
the commotion, he went to the kitchen to see what was going on. Then he told
him that this black cook is worth a hundred of you. When Demetrius heard this
from his uncle, he said nothing and took off his apron and walked out without
his pay. He did not see his uncle again.
Demetrius then went to work in Charleston, South Carolina.
There he met several other Greeks from Cephalonia. He opened a grocery store
with one of them and in a year the store burned down. Then he went with two
others from Cephalonia, and opened a café. In a year his partners wanted to
burn down the cafe to collect the insurance.
So one night after midnight while asleep over the café,
without them telling him anything they stick a match to café. Demetrius
got out as fast as he could but only with his clothes on his back. All his
other possessions were burned, including a photo of his mother. He wishes he
had it because that was the only one he had.
The business in
Charleston, S.C., began to slow down so one of his other friends from
Cephalonia told him that up in North Carolina, business there was booming.
One day Demetrius
Constantine Chionis (James Heonis) went to the train station to buy a
ticket for North Carolina, but the ticket clerk asked him what city in North
Carolina and he said he did not know. So he went back to his friend to ask him
what city and he told him Raleigh. He went back to the train station and got a
ticket for Raleigh, North Carolina.
Demetrius arrived in Raleigh, North Carolina in 1924. He opened
a grocery store on the 300 block on South Wilmington Street in downtown
Raleigh. With a Greek partner, they name the store WHITE ROSE GROCERY. Then
later on they decide to split the store, half for grocery and the other half
with a café.
They were running
this twin business for a while and then they split up. Demetrius Constantine
Chionis (James Heonis) sold his half business to his partner and he went to
Charlotte, North Carolina.
He got a job there in
a café there. In about 3-4 months his former partner from Raleigh came to
Charlotte looking him and told to come back to Raleigh. He said he would sell
his grocery store and café back to him.
James Heonis went back to Raleigh in a month and he went to see
his former partner to buy the business. But when my father saw the business, it
was nearly empty. He told him, “what do you want me to buy, the empty walls”.
Then in a month or
two with two silent Greek partners, he opened a café on the corner of South
McDonald and West South Street. They named it FRISCO CAFE, mostly black
customers. He was doing good business but he did not like café business too
much. He always preferred the grocery business the best to him.
In the spring of 1928, James Heonis started looking
for a lot to buy. So he could build a building like he wanted. A grocery store
and meat market on the ground floor with living quarters on the second floor.
He found one on the corner on West South Street
and Harrington Street. There he started to build the two story brick building
like he planned.
In the last part of
1928, he finished the building on Feb. 1, 1929. James Heonis opened the
store and named it, AMERICAN GROCERY
& MEAT MARKET. Many black costumers from the WHITE
ROSE GROCERY and the FRISCO CAFÉ called him Mr. White Rose for many years. It
was easy for them, than to call him Mr. Heonis.
His son, Constantine
D. Chionis (Gus Heonis) arrive from Greece
on February 20, 1929 to help him in the store.
General
Food Market 1942 Raleigh, North
Carolina
James
Heonis Co. 1944-1962 Raleigh, North Carolina
American
Store 1937 Durham, North Carolina (Gus Heonis first grocery store)
Fairview
Food Market (2nd) 1953-1962 Raleigh,
North Carolina (Gus Heonis last grocery store)
The first Fairview
Food Market was at Five Points on Fairview Road in the 1940's.
Raleigh
Greek Church 1930s - 1970s
More
information will be added here
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