VILLAGE OF EAST SYRACUSE – The Village of East Syracuse recognized a trio of long-standing businesses that have been pillars within the community for at least 30 years, and in the case of two, for more than a century. Courtesy of Mayor Lorene Dadey and Trustee Carol Para on June 13, Lansing Insurance, Willey Lumber Company and Kosta’s Pizza House were all given plaques and personalized street signs with wording like “Lansing Lane” to place on their properties.
Lansing Insurance
Located at 500 N. Center St., Lansing Insurance was opened in 1900 by Walter Lansing before being passed down to his son, Nelson, then two more Walters, and now David Lansing, the current owner.
David, the fifth-generation Lansing said that sometime during its 123 years, the business—which happens to be the oldest active one in the village of East Syracuse—changed its name from Lansing & Son Insurance Agency to Lansing Insurance.
Over the course of his own 39 years in the family business, David spent 34 years working alongside his late father, Walter, who went by Gene as a shortening of his middle name, Eugene. David’s father had gotten into the business in 1953 after graduating from Syracuse University.
“It was a joy working with my dad,” David said. “That was a lot of fun.”
David said that what has stuck out to him most with his job has been the people he meets day to day and the opportunity he’s had to get to know entire families over several generations.
“I appreciate having the trust of so many people and working with them for so many years,” David said. “The village has been a wonderful place to have a business, and we’re fortunate to have a lot of good customers that believe in our service.”
Previously situated on East Manlius Street for 80 years, the business took over the village’s old, burned-down First Methodist Church building in May 1980 after a renovation of that space.
“I get some of the older customers who call and still express appreciation for my grandfather insuring them when they moved here from Italy or somewhere else, and they’ve stuck with us all these years,” David said. “That’s pretty cool.”
The agency offers insurance for automobiles, homes, small businesses, boats and all types of other recreational vehicles as well as different types of insurance on an individual basis.
David thanked the village board for the recent acknowledgment of his business’ decades of service. According to Mayor Lorene Dadey that day, the agency “helps out the little people.”
“If you treat people with respect, they will continue to insure with you and do business with you,” David said. “We’re not trying to be something we’re not. We work with the general public and provide the insurance they need and try to customize it to be what they need.”
Willey Lumber Company
Willey Lumber, the retail store located at 100 Hartwell Ave. in East Syracuse, was honored last week with a street sign reading “Willeys Corner.”
That business next to the train tracks has been around for 102 years, and ever since its beginnings, it has maintained its feel as a mom and pop shop that custom-manufactures crates, pallets and wood products for shipping.
The business involves the four Willey siblings who make up the fifth generation in the line of ownership. Those co-owners are Susan and her brothers Michael, Paul and Richard.
“It’s a fifth-generation business, so as it got handed down I guess we were born into it and brought into it very early,” said Susan Willey, the company administrator who took over from her grandmother 43 years ago.
Michael Willey, who handles sales, said Willey Lumber prides itself on prompt, quality delivery service with high-caliber products and minimal fees.
“People will get things in two to three days without going to a box store or something like that,” he said.
Another core focus is on giving back to the community through sponsorship of Eagle Scout projects, village events and Little League teams as well as charitable donations for cancer research.
Michael said, however, that no matter the challenges that come with running a family business, the siblings can all get together at Christmas time and sit down at the same table where no one thinks to bring up business.
Susan echoed the advice of her father by saying that success lies in everyone employed staying within their job descriptions and not stepping over boundaries to do the job of someone else, thereby staying in their own corner of the company.
Kosta’s Pizza House
Located at 225 E. Manlius St., Kosta’s Pizza House has been in business for 37 years. Its namesake, Kosta Kousmanidis, serves up gyros, calzones, onion rings, wings and, of course, pizza, all while darting back and forth inside the counter-serve restaurant and making sure to address everyone who strolls in as his buddy.
Kousmanidis, who prepares food every year for the Greek Fest held at St. Sophia’s Greek Orthodox Church, maintains a reasonable deal for the customers of his pizza house: “If you don’t like it, you pay double.”
The spirited restaurateur came to the United States from Greece in 1978 and ended up opening his eatery in 1987. Ever since, he has treated the business as a marriage in that dedication and being there “through thick and thin” is crucial.
He is helped out a good amount of the time by his wife, Georgia, whom he married in 1997. She said she has always enjoyed talking to regular customers and making them happy through food service.
“I appreciate the recognition very much, and I appreciate everybody for supporting me,” Kosta said. “And thank you to God because I love what I do and I have the health to be here for 37 years. It’s been a beautiful run and a blessing for me.”
The restaurant used to be open from about 7 or 8 in the morning until 2 a.m., but Kosta has chosen to cut back on hours a bit as time has gone on.
One regular, Leslie Fox, said that for almost his whole life he has appreciated Kosta’s humor that kicks in as soon as he walks through the door and the company of others inside the pizza house, not to mention the food.
