VILLAGE OF EAST SYRACUSE – Before heading into its regularly scheduled monthly meeting on Aug. 7, the East Syracuse Village Board made a point of honoring two local pillars known for their sweet treats.
As a sign of appreciation from the municipality, Hercules Candy Company was the first to be called up that evening to be awarded a recognition certificate, in their case for being in business for a century-plus.
Terry Andrianos, co-owner of the passed-down candy-making operation with her husband Steve, was present at the meeting to accept the plaque. She said the recognition was “gratifying and humbling” for her.
“It’s an honor because we’ve been there for so long,” Andrianos said. “Our kids are fourth-generation, and we’ve had that many generations of customers coming in too.”
The candy store was founded in East Syracuse in 1910 as the Boston Candy Kitchen by Steve’s grandfather Robert and his brothers Jim and Pete, who together moved to Fulton upon their arrival in that Massachusetts city from Greece.
In 1918, a homestead on West Heman Street was purchased by the family, but the candy kitchen was brought to Fulton for a period of seven years until its return to the basement of that East Syracuse house.
In 1945, the shop was rebranded as Hercules Candy Company as a nod to the given name of Robert’s father, but it was eventually turned over to the eldest sons one by one and closed by Steve’s father in 1972. That is, until Steve reopened it in 1977 with $500 and some purchased ingredients when he was 21.
Steve and Terry were married in 1984, and they ran the store out of the West Heman homestead until it was brought to its current location at 720 W. Manlius St. in September 2018.
Since 2017, the candy shop has seen a boost from its monetized YouTube channel, which has over 700,000 subscribers and finds Steve and Terry making such confections as brittles or ribbon candy in-house with their daughters Cara and Leah while their son Craig wields the camera.
Terry said their videos have allowed people to learn about the different generations that have run Hercules Candies through photos from decades past and stories told over the years.
“Our YouTube subscribers love that we’re family,” she said. “That’s why they watch us.”
The second East Syracuse business presented with a certificate of achievement this week was Serres Donut Shop, which has been located at 135 W. Manlius St. since 1981.
In attendance at the village hall Monday night was longtime owner of the business Niki Raptis and her son, Dino, their awarded plaque reading “best donut shop in East Syracuse!”
“We really appreciate everything your family has done for the village and for being here this long,” Mayor Lorene Dadey said to them in the village court room.
In response to the honor, Eastwood resident Niki said it felt bittersweet because she started the business with her husband, Bill, and ran it with him until he passed away in 2021.
“He was the best,” she said of her husband of 53 years. “He was a special person and a hard-working family man and provider.”
The couple bought the building in 1978 intending for it to a space where Bill could sell the wooden cabinets he made, but after two years spent tearing down the interior and rebuilding it, they decided to follow the advice of a cousin of Bill’s who owned two doughnut shops in Boston to go head first into the baking line of work.
The name Bill and Niki decided on for the shop refers to the Greek city of Serres where the two were born and raised. The word is also a palindrome, as Dino pointed out: it’s spelled the same backwards as it is forwards.
Since Bill’s passing, the days of operation for Serres Donut Shop have cut down from seven to six, and after getting used to running the counter, Niki had to fully take over her late husband’s job of baking the doughnuts.
Dino has also made sure to split time between helping out at the shop and his job as a student advocate at Le Moyne College. He said his family’s business ties back to his heritage.
“Cafe life is big overseas in Greece and throughout Europe,” Dino said. “People hang out, and it’s a social meeting place.”
The delicacies of Serres Donut Shop include pineapple and banana-flavored doughnuts and ones with chocolate glaze as well as apple fritters, jelly sticks and baklava.
“We love the business, and we love the people,” Niki said. “I’ve gotten a lot of support from the village of East Syracuse, and everybody knows me and says ‘hi’ when they walk in.”
Dadey told Niki and Dino, who were joined by family friend and frequent customer Dorothy Connors, that Bill is looking down upon them and smiling.
