Capital Shoe Sign
Datec. 1950
DimensionsOverall: 76 x 30 x 3 cm
Credit LineGift of Ms. Georgia Velos, London, Ontario, 2006.
Object number2006.003.003
Label TextWilliam Agnos opened Capitol Shoe Repair in 1934 at 376 Richmond Street, later moving it to 222 Richmond Street. The services offered? Shoe Repair Shoe Shine Hats Cleaned. A Greek immigrant, Agnos settled in London in 1927. His wife, Pinio, and their two children followed in 1935, once the business was established.
In 1927, Bill Agnos, born in 1899, arrived in London to start a new life at the behest of his father-in-law James Liabotis, one of London's first Greet immigrants. Though trained as a tailor in his native Arcadia, Greece, he probably started working in his father-in-law's shoe shine shop on Dundas Street soon after he arrived. A few years later, he opened his own shop at 376 Richmond where he cleaned and blocked hats as well as repairing and shining shoes. Just before the end of the Second World War (1939-1945) he built a house at 230 Richmond. In the early 1950s he moved his hat and shoe shop to a building near his house where he continued to work until his retirement in 1972.
Bill's wife Pinio brought their young children, Georgia, John, and Elizabeth to Canada in 1935, arriving on the Empress of Australia at Quebec City with only a few belongings in a trunk and a couple of valises.
Daughter, Georgia Agnos Velos recounts: "It was clothing, bed linen, blankets mom had woven on the loom - no dishes, cutlery, or anything like that was brought over. There was nobody to ask how to prepare for the trip, we were the first Greek family from the province of Arcadia to leave and come to Canada...Both my parents were very grateful from the moment they arrived in Canada that they had come to this lovely country...they in essence came with just the clothes on their back. At the time they arrived there were no freebies there were no loans there were very few people who even spoke their language."
Along with Philip Kapelos and Stephen Mitches, Bill was instrumental in the founding of the Hellenic Community of London and Vicinity, to allow fundraising for what would become Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church. Several lawyers, who had their shoes shined at Bill's shop and worked across the street in the Richmond Building helped with the filing as did his daughter, Georgia, who worked in the Richmond Building at the Royal Bank.
"I stayed back in 1949 at the Royal bank to type the application as there were no typewriters available to us. I typed it and it was duly sworn as some of the politicians used to go to dad's store as their offices were in the Richmon building above the royal Bank."
All four of Bill Agnos' children, one of whom was born in Canada, graduated from university.
NameSign, Trade
