Nowadays, the smart talk isn’t about web retailers replacing brick and mortar, but about how digital and physical will work together in tandem. Danny Sarandos has been there for years, going from storefront to online to a brand new storefront. Growing up in the family-owned Parthenon Foods, he created a website for the West Allis ethnic grocery as a college class project.
That was 12 years ago. The site attracted business and attention from afar. “Amazon contacted me—they had just started a gourmet grocery line,” Sarandos says. Sales expanded and with the long-running Greek corner store increasingly packed to the rafters with new merchandise from around the world, Sarandos decided to open a new store at a more prominent location, kitty-corner from State Fair Park at 8415 W. Greenfield Ave.
Parthenon European Market is a spaciously laid out grocery specializing in foods of the Eastern Mediterranean and the Balkans with tangents toward Germany and elsewhere. There is a small produce selection and a refrigerator-freezer section with yogurt, sausages and other meats, unusual items such as taramasalata (Greek caviar spread) and the sort of spinach-in-phyllo frozen foods you won’t find elsewhere.
Most of the aisles are devoted to packaged and canned goods. You can find bags of finely ground Turkish coffee alongside cans of Greek instant coffee (stronger than its American cousin). European jams, marmalades and honey are available, as are jarred items such as ajvar, the salsa of the Balkans. The bakery counter includes all the delights of Greece and Italy, from baklava and kataifi to cannoli. The cheese selection spans feta to Brie. Another attraction is the deli with falafel, Greek chicken soup, homemade orzo and other fresh salads plus gluten-free wraps.
“We sell foods from 30-40 countries—our name, the European Market, pretty much says it all,” Sarandos says. “Many of our customers have said, ‘Wow, finally, a place where we can get all our things without having to go online!’”
Parthenon European Market is open daily. The original Parthenon Foods (9131 W. Cleveland Ave.) is still open Monday-Friday. Visit parthenonfoods.com for more information.
