Giannis and Aspasia open the shop
After years in marble workshops and fuel stations, Giannis Mellos and Aspasia Karnezi turn to the hardware trade on 25 Μαρτίου in Galatas.
Galatas
About the shop
Rooted in the local community, shaped by the people who pass through.
Since 1997
Our story
Giannis Mellos and Aspasia Karnezi opened the shop in 1997. Their working lives had already moved through marble workshops and fuel stations, each one shaped by what the community around them needed. The hardware trade was the next step, and it slowly became more than another chapter of constant work: a place that felt like theirs.
Over time their daughter, Kate Mellou, took a bigger part in running the shop, and today she runs it on her own. In a trade long dominated by men, she is known for her determination, her way with people and a practical eye for a customer's problem. She also turned the shop toward marine supplies, making it a fixed point for households and for the boats of Galatas and Poros.
It remains a community shop. Locals come in for the everyday things, travellers pass through with their caravans, and the counter has turned into a crossroads where every conversation brings something new. Newer members of the family are gradually taking part.
The story so far
Kate takes over
Kate Mellou takes on the running of the shop and turns it toward the sea, for the households and the boats of Galatas and Poros.
A crossroads of people
Neighbours, sailors and travellers passing through. The younger members of the family are slowly finding their place behind the counter.
How we work
Honest advice
We'll tell you the cheaper option when it's the right one, and say so when it isn't.
We know the shop
Describe the job, or bring the broken part in. Between the shelves and years of doing this, we'll work it out.
Part of the village
A shop for the people who live here and the people passing through. That is what it has always been.
Come say hello
The shop is open Monday to Saturday. Pass by anytime.