Chris Nicolaou had two main goals when he arrived in Australia from Cyprus in 1955. The first was to be his own boss and the second was to be a part of a community. He achieved both.
This year, the Brisbane supermarket business – IGA Carina – that he had originally purchased in 1955, will celebrate a 70-year milestone.
For 23 of those years, his brother John worked alongside him as a partner in the business. John had migrated to Australia in 1965 aged 15, looking after the grocery side while Chris focused on everything else.
Chris stepped away from the business in 2007 at the aged of 75 after a serious stroke where he lost his speech and mobility before passing away at the age of 81 in 2013.
Yet his legacy remains.
A family affair
Today the IGA is operated by his six children Mary, Chrissy, Helen, Nick, Sam, and Andrea, while many of his 16 grandchildren have also worked in the business at various times.
Chris had bought the Brisbane business before his marriage to Eftihia, who had made Adelaide her home after migrating from Cyprus. They crossed paths in 1959 when he came to Adelaide to visit a friend.
His son Nick told The Greek Herald the couple’s original plan after getting married was to stay in Brisbane for six months to sell the business and then live in Adelaide to start a family. But fate had other plans.
“When dad first came to Australia, he landed in Melbourne and worked a few different jobs – one of them was at a car factory,” Nick said.
“He made some great friends who had also migrated from Cyprus to Melbourne. Eventually, one of his close friends moved to Adelaide, and that’s where they met.
“But once they got to Brisbane, Mum loved it so much they decided to stay and keep the store. Over the years, they helped bring the rest of their family from Cyprus and Adelaide – up to beautiful Brisbane too.
“My dad was very ambitious. He always wanted to be his own boss and loved the idea of being part of a community.”
Hard work is rewarded
Chris had never worked in a store let alone having his own business, but was driven to succeed by his love of a challenge to succeed. Like many others before him, he arrived in Australia with not much in his pocket other than a desire to succeed.
“Coming from Cyprus with very little, he had a hunger to work hard and create a better life for his family,” Nick said.
“He learned everything on the job through persistence and determination. He never let a lack of experience hold him back – instead, it pushed him to work even harder and prove himself.
“That mindset became a core part of the store’s success and something he instilled in all of us. His journey is a great example of resilience and the immigrant spirit.”
Although the business has reached the 70-year milestone, Chris, his wife Eftihia and his brother John worked hard in the early years. It was not always easy trying to navigate life in Australia and running a business.
Eftihia also worked hard serving customers, not at all deterred by the language barrier. Nick said this made his mum even more determined to connect with customers through kindness and hard work.
“Together, they were an unstoppable team, driven by an incredible work ethic and a shared dream to build a better life,” he said.
“Their dedication set the foundation for what the store has become today.”
Providing the best for his customers
Meanwhile, Chris would get up at the crack of dawn visiting the local market and selecting the produce to sell all while building relationships with the farmers.
“His true love was supplying the community with the best and fresh fruit and vegetables and dad prided himself on personally selecting the produce,” Nick said.
“This was the catalyst that made the business grow. Dad also had a very understanding bank manager in the early days of the business. Without his help and guidance, the store would have closed.”
Nick recalled a funny story of how his father had an unusual way of writing the words carrot and celery.
“Dad used to spell celery with an ‘s’ – much to the amusement of customers,” Nick said.
“He’d accidentally spell carrots with a ‘k’, and customers would come to the shop praising his clever marketing tactic – poor dad couldn’t tell them the spelling was an accident and not intentional!”
Giving back to community
Chris also liked to walk around the shop cutting up fruit and offering it to customers to show how fresh the produce was.
“Most people had no idea he was the owner,” Nick said. “They just thought he was some random fruit shop crazy man handing out apple slices.”
His children were also taught how to give back to the community, especially to those who needed it most.
“Dad lived by a simple motto: “If you can help, you help.” And he really meant it,” Nick said. “Owning a supermarket gave him a unique opportunity to support others and he never hesitated to step in when someone was struggling – especially around Christmas time.
“He would drop off boxes of groceries to families doing it tough – never looking for recognition, just wanting to make sure no one went without.”
Chris kept a red book behind the counter for customers who were having trouble making ends meet. Customers could take their groceries and pay later – an act of trust and kindness to the community he loved.
These days his family of six children, 16 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren consider it an honour to remember the sacrifices made by Chris and Eftihia, while upholding the legacy as it enters its 70th year.
“There’s a strong sense of pride in upholding the standards he set, especially his commitment to quality, good service, community and hard work,” Nick said.
“It’s not just about running a supermarket; it’s about preserving a family story that began 70 years ago with courage and heart.
“Carrying that legacy forward means everything to us. To this day, the shop is called Chris’ IGA Carina after all.”
