Passing the test of time: Heirloom Market celebrate 10 years in business

By Mark Jahne

Editor

Photos by Mark Jahne

If they knew back then what they know now, Spiro and Julia Koulouris might have had second thoughts about opening Heirloom Market at Comstock Ferre.

But what they know now is that they made a wise decision and did everything they could to make it a thriving business. They weathered the COVID-19 pandemic and other challenges and are now enjoying the fruits of their labor while celebrating 10 years in business.

ulia and Spiro Koulouris are the owners of Heirloom Market at Comstock Ferre.

“It was a really quick long time” is how Spiro described the past decade. “If we knew then what we know now we would have run for the hills,” he added with a smile.

“Ignorance is bliss,” Julia said, also smiling. “We just wanted to rent out one room and have a coffee shop” with a few food items. “We just kept growing the menu. It’s a real restaurant.”

Their son was a little boy when they opened the place. He’s a teenager now.

“It’s been quite a journey. It’s very different now … the first couple of years were hard,” Julia recalled.

The couple, who live within walking distance of the store, leased the property for five years before purchasing it outright.

“We knew how fortunate we were to be the caretakers in this chapter of this property,” Spiro said. “This building has a soul. It’s a special space.”

Racks of vegetable seeds, including heirloom seeds, are not just a nod to the past. They are popular items that customers purchase for home gardens.

He gave credit to Jere and Emilee Gettle of Baker Creek rare seeds, the previous owners, for helping them get off to a strong start.

“We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for them,” Spiro said.

In keeping with the history of the building that dates from the town’s colonial days, they still sell an extensive variety of seeds, including heirloom seeds. They are an important component of the overall revenue and sell well during times when the restaurant part of the business tends to slow down.

“The seeds have been a blessing for us,” he said.

The market is popular for its many hot and cold beverages including coffee, tea, lattes, smoothies, hot chocolate, juices and more. There is a wide variety of food and snack items, jars of condiments, fresh fruit and vegetables, soups, sandwiches, the list goes on.

“The core principals when we opened are still local and organic. Everything is made from scratch,” Spiro said.

The market has consistently grown over the years. It now offers refrigerated and frozen items.

The couple agreed that another component of their success is that they listen to their customers. They agreed that being part of a thriving Old Wethersfield Shopkeepers Association has also been a benefit, as has the growing reputation of the town’s historic district as a tourist destination.

“Wethersfield is cool,” Julia said. “We wouldn’t be who we are if we were in a strip mall or on the Berlin Turnpike.”

She loves seeing families come to their market. It’s a popular destination for the people who are clients of the nearby yoga studios to socialize after their workout.

Most important of all, Heirloom Market continues to attract new customers.

“We bought this place in the middle of COVID. We survived COVID with success. We never went into debt. We paid our employees. We paid our distributors,” Julia said.

They quickly pivoted to online sales and overnight ordering. Filling grocery orders of $200 or more became common.

“When we first opened, we had nine employees. Now we have 35. I find that really rewarding,” Spiro said.

They both have backgrounds in the food industry. Julia studied at the Center for Culinary Arts and worked in restaurants. Spiro has a fine arts background. He managed the Half Door Irish pub in Hartford and was the general manager of Firebox restaurant, also in Hartford.

The challenge for them now is to keep up with the maintenance and renovation needs of such an old building. They already did carpentry and other renovations and took advantage of the town’s façade improvement program to update the exterior.

The roof still needs work. They also hope to acquire small business grants for other improvements to the property. Anyone with grant-writing experience who is willing to help with that is encouraged to contact them.

“There is a lot of potential here,” Julia said.

“Everything is on the table right now,” Spiro added.

Heirloom Market at Comstock Ferre is located at 263 Main St. Call 860-257-2790 or visit heirloommkt.com. The market is open seven days a week, check the website for hours.