“It was a very traditional fruit and grocery store,” says the 41-year-old Katopodis in the basement headquarters of what would soon became his flagship store. “It was like a supermarket of the ‘60s. Actually the equipment here was from ‘60s. The original owner was a gentleman named Lou Campanelli and I asked him for some information. But he told me not to come here: ‘All the big guys are here, King Cullen, Stop & Shop, what are you going to do?’ But I knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to transform it.”

Katopodis had been running upscale markets in the city for years with his brother-in-law John Zoitas and he soon made the 12,000-square-foot hulk of the old market into the showpiece of the neighborhood. North Shore Marketplace opened in 2003 (and a Glen Cove branch six months ago) and it soon became the talk of the town.

“It attracted a lot of attention,” admits Katopodis, with a shy but proud smile as he sits at his desk, while an ultra-modern bank of cameras show him every aisle and every room in both stores. “It became very successful.”

What made it successful, he explains, is the upscale service and quality he learned to provide from his years in the city, but also the quality of his customers.

“What I realized is that in this neighborhood you’re dealing with very educated consumers,” he says. “And the more knowledgeable the consumer is, the more my stores attract them, because they know what they want, what kind of quality they want, and they also know what price they have to pay to get it. They’re very educated.”

North Shore Marketplace offers over 400 varieties of cheese and dozens of fish from around the world (chosen fresh every day from the New Fulton Fish Market in Hunt’s Point) in a mix that is completely different from the traditional supermarket.

“I try to differentiate what we sell here with the King Kullens and Stop & Shops of the world,” he says. “A traditional supermarket is more grocery-oriented, dry goods-oriented. Their sales are probably 70 percent dry goods and 30 percent perishables, foods and vegetables. I’m the other way around: 70 percent perishables and 30 percent dry goods. They can offer the dry goods at almost the same price or better prices than me. But they can’t compete with the quantity or quality of our fresh goods.”

North Shore also provides the service to educate even educated customers.

“You move imported cheese to an educated consumer because you know how to cut it, package it and merchandise it and then that consumer wants to buy it,” says Jamie Litchhult, a supplier to the market. “Experience is what sells the product.”

And freshness, adds Katopodis. “You want to give people anything that’s fresh, as fresh as can be, whether it’s produce, meat, cooked foods or gourmet and imported foods at reasonable prices. And when you move it as fast as we do, we never have a problem with freshness.”

Katopodis first learned the business back in Greece.

“My first experience in this business was at the age of 13,” he recalls. “After graduating elementary school, my parents didn’t want me to take the bus every day to go to high school so I lived in town with an uncle of mine who was in this line of business. And every afternoon when I didn’t have anything to do I went and helped him. And I enjoyed it, I enjoyed talking to people, I enjoyed learning the aspects of buying and selling. It created a passion for me and it evolved into passion—and I do have a passion--for food.’

“This is the only thing I’ve ever done in my life,” he admits with a smile. “I haven’t done anything else. Nothing else. This satisfies my passion, absolutely.”

Katopodis gets to the store early, stays late and often pitches in anywhere (“I do anything and everything in this business—from serving customers to cleaning the floor if I have to”). He is helped by his wife Marilena, his father-in-law Stelios Frankis, and by colorful chef John Kouros, who calls himself “Mr. Lovely” and who does the catering and provides impromptu entertainment.

Of his two sons, Angelo and Stelios, their father says, “My little one comes and spends time. He says he wants to get into the business and do what I do: walk around and collect the money.”

And his regular customers include many members of the surrounding Greek community and many of his AHEPA Gold Coast brothers.

“I’ve never experienced anything like this anywhere else,” says Katopodis. “When they realized there was a Greek in this establishment, they gave me major, positive support—they helped in any way possible. I’m trying to give back for the support they gave me. I’m a member of the Gold Coast chapter of AHEPA and I keep seeing members walking through the store with their hand baskets. You hear good things and positive criticism from your own people.”

And recently Katopodis was given the Lou Campanelli award by SCORE (an organization advising small business) for “his knowledge of the food industry combined with his outstanding ability to set priorities and proceed so confidently (which) distinguishes him from all the rest.”

It is a fitting tribute from the man who once advised Nick Katopodis not to buy his old supermarket.
“Now he calls and visits here all the time,” says Katopodis, with a pleased smile.