I talked to two friends that I lived with about the idea of going into our own business. Since none of us knew anything about business, it was my idea to go into the food business. The grocery business would be the easiest to get into and we would be making a little more money than we were now making. They agreed.

After about ten or eleven months at the American Can Company we each had about $200 to $250 and we agreed to pool our resources, find a small store, or rent it, and equip it to get our business started. Since none of us knew anything about the business, a decision was made that I quit my job to go work in a grocery store for a short period of time in order to learn the business. Afterwards we could rent a store and start.

Fortunately, two gentlemen from near the part of Greece where I was born were operating a grocery store at the northeast corner of Sutter and Franklin Streets. I offered to work for them for no pay for thirty to forty days in order to learn as much as possible. They agreed.

After I worked there thirty to forty days we located a vacant store at the northwest corner of Scott and Sacramento Streets and rented it. We found a Greek carpenter who was willing to build shelves and counters for us with a little money down and the balance to be paid over time. We ordered groceries with the help of my countrymen and hired a Greek-American with grocery experience as a clerk until I became acquainted enough with the business to run it myself. My two partners continued to work at the can company.

I don't know exactly how long it was, but less than a year later I received a letter from my father asking me to help him financially so that my other sister could marry. The amount of money he asked for was around $500. There wasn't anything on earth that I could do but send the money. Since there was no one that I could borrow from, the thought entered my mind to ask my partners to buy me out and give me whatever money I had coming to me. I could then send the money to my father and go to work elsewhere. As a result, I received whatever money I had coming, sent it to my father, and then looked for employment.

There was a grocery store on the northeast corner of Post and Taylor Streets operated by two Greeks, one married with children and the other single. They hired me at the rate of $40.00 per month. My work started a 5:00 AM until 7 or 8 in the evening, seven days a week. In the morning I had to go to the wholesale market to buy fruit and vegetables, bring them to the store, arrange the display and then work as a clerk and delivery boy. Forty dollars a month was no money to speak of. I could hardly get by, pay my rent, laundry, and other necessities of life. Fortunately, I was able to eat at work. There was a little stove in the basement and all three of us ate our meals there. After a period of time, I realized that the wages they were paying me were not sufficient for me to live properly and to be able to save a little. I asked them for a raise. They refused, claiming hardship. I gave them a week's notice to give them a chance to find someone to replace me and started to look for another job.

Again I was fortunate to find another Greek-American who was also looking for employment and had a few dollars. Together we rented a fruit stand in a market a block above where I worked, which is the northeast corner of Post and Jones Streets. This type of business did not require much capital because what we bought in the morning was practically all sold by evening. We didn't have more than $100.00 worth of merchandise. We were able to make twice as much as I was making as a clerk and we worked fewer hours.

After a few months I again became restless and didn't want to stay there. I figured that there must be better opportunities and better locations where we could do more business and earn more money. I talked it over with my partner and we found a buyer and sold the fruit stand. My partner took his share of the money and went to the state of Utah. I went to work for another Greek-American in a delicatessen on Geary and Fillmore Streets. There again I didn't get much money, but it was something new that I could learn. This was around 1914 and I had worked long hours so I had no time to go around for social activities. The result was that I didn't know many people.

One of my former partners, with whom I traveled from Greece to this country, was out of business and unemployed. I had an uncle who worked as a bartender for Tate's Café on O'Farrell Street. I convinced them both that with what little money we could put together we should find a location and start over again in the grocery business, with fruits, vegetables and, if possible, meats.

We located a vacant store on California Street right between Levenworth and Hyde on the south side. It had living quarters in the back, a little garage and a basement. Again we found a Greek carpenter who undertook to do all the work inside, putting in shelves and counters. We succeeded in opening a little market selling groceries, fruit and vegetables and meats as well. We hired a young American for a butcher and the other partner and I worked the store. My uncle continued to work as a bartender at Tate's. Eventually he came into the store and tried to learn the business.

It was about this time that the First World War started and business was fairly good. Fortunately, a law was passed at that time that required stores to close at 6:00 P.M. and all day Sunday as well, because of the shortage of labor, I presume. This was a blessing. It cut down our working hours and gave me a chance to rest and to go to night school to improve my English. Still, I found it hard because the day was long, the work was hard and half the time I would fall asleep in class.

Being physically weak from the time I came from Greece, and because of the hard work that I went through, I felt that I wasn't going to last very long. One of my customers saw my condition and urged me to see a doctor who was a friend of hers. He examined me and immediately put me in the hospital, where I stayed for two weeks with pneumonia.. When I felt stronger, I got out and went back to work and all went well.