Part 3: James and Pete on 8th Street SE (1906-1908)

Inspection, Marine Barracks, Washington, D.C. Washington D.C, 1917 L. O. C.

Pete and his cousin James arrived the same year the Marine barracks were built on 8th St SE. They moved into an 1800s townhouse, and lived above their candy shop. The building was built in the 1880s or earlier, and is the only Cokinos candy shop still standing although the downstairs facade has changed.

721 8th St SE

Many of the older DC street directories list both a person’s occupation and address and also provide a gold mine of information in between censuses. The 1907 directory listed James Cokinos as a confectioner with a shop called “The Sugar  Bowl” at 721 8th Street SE. Back then a confectionary often included a soda fountain which served as a social hub. James and Pete made their own ice cream in the basement which was very much unfinished to this day. They worked hard, day and night. In 1920, I found a help wanted ad for a shop girl to work from 4-11 pm at the 721 location. I also found one looking for shoe blacks, so I imagine this was a place to get your shoes shined, too. 

The Greek community here was pretty small at the time. Only a few hundred immigrants were listed in the 1900 census and like many immigrant populations they relied on each other to build a community in their new world. The DC's Greeks wanted a church of their own and had already decided that it would be named St Sophia, after the famous Hagia Sophia of Constantinople. The congregation first met in 1904 in a space over a warehouse on Indiana Avenue where they relied on a traveling priest. By 1908, the community had enough money to rent the upstairs room of Adas Israel synagogue at 6th and G NW for more formal services with a more permanent priest. I know our family was a part of this early congregation.

The 1908 the directory lists both James and Pete, plus Pete’s brother Adam. All three men lived together above the store on 8th Street working to expand their enterprise. By April that same year, they had acquired another candy shop at 1203 H Street NE. They could afford to advertise the businesses. I'm guessing Adam and Pete were the "& Co." part of the equation. Things were looking up.