Neighbourhood residents thank elderly Toronto grocery owners for staying open during COVID-19 pandemic
Desmond Brown | CBC News | Posted: May 4, 2020 9:00 AM | Last Updated: May 4, 2020
‘Here are some gems in the neighbourhood,’ says resident of Tina and Kostas Bottis
A small grocery store in Toronto's west end, owned by two seniors, has been helping residents cope during the COVID-19 pandemic — revealing in the process that they're most definitely essential.
Tina and Kostas Bottis have kept the doors to St. John's Variety open throughout the outbreak, making it possible for residents to get much needed supplies without venturing out of their neighbourhood. The store is located at 431 St Johns Rd, near Jane Street and Runnymede Road.
Residents have noticed. Last Saturday, they plastered the windows of the store with signs that read: "Thank you for being there for your neighbours," and "You are the Best."
"I think in this particular situation we're just that more thankful for them keeping their store open," said Heidi Hunter, who has lived in the area for 10 years.
"They're in a higher risk category themselves and they continue to serve the community."
The Bottis's are both in their 70s and have been operating the store for more than 38 years.
"When we moved here 10 years ago I remember the people who sold the house to us, on the list of things to kind of look out for, [they had] Tina and Kostas on that list," Hunter told CBC News.
"[They said] 'here are some gems in the neighbourhood' and they've been such a support to us ever since."
'We're just forever grateful'
Hunter recalls the couple giving out "massive chocolate bars" at Halloween, and always keeping their store stocked with anything residents need.
"Both my husband and I are on immunosuppressant drugs, so having the basic groceries at Tina and Kosta's store is wonderful," Hunter said, adding that the joke in the community is that the couple will have whatever you need.
And if they don't have it they go out and get it for you.
"One of their wholesale vendors closed their doors during this pandemic, so instead of closing their doors so Tina and Kosta went out themselves to get the products that that wholesaler had provided to them," Hunter said.
"On a personal note, it's a huge value to my husband and I, and we have a family of three young children, and we're just forever grateful."
After posting several handmade posters on the store Sunday, the residents gathered on the opposite side of the street and cheered for several minutes after Tina and Kostas emerged from the store.
"It's very emotional and I thank everybody for the love and support given to us," Tina Bottis told CBC News.
"[The people] are like family to us … I love them like my family, my kids."
'We go through it together'
Tina Bottis said she and her husband have watched children from the neighbourhood grow into adults. Even if they move away, she said they always come by to say hello.
She is aware they are in a vulnerable category for the virus because of their age, but added it was more important to them to keep the store open.
One area resident, who asked to remain anonymous, paid for a Plexiglass shield for the cashier area to protect the elderly owners.
"We try to support the community for the difficult times. We go through it together, and [stay] open [so] they can buy milk, bread and anything," Tina Bottis said.
"They support us and we support them. The nice cards, they make us happy."
The couple's daughter, Angela Bottis, said her parents, who are originally from Greece where they were farmers, moved to Canada in the 1960s.
She said her parents worked many jobs before purchasing the store in the early 1980s. "It was their dream to come here and have a better life and provide a better life for myself and my brother," she told CBC News.
"So, a day like today makes me extremely emotional because I see all of their hard work come to light [because of] their kindness and their dedication to this community.
"The warmth and the compassion from this community, the families here are just so supportive. It's very much like family," Angela Bottis added.