Five Generations at City Fish Market
Genos Anagnos came to America from Greece. He founded City Fish Market in 1930, it quickly became a family operation. His three sons, Nicholas, Christopher and George helped out as young children.
It was common in those days for children to work at the family business to learn the traditions, value, and culture that customers loved. The tradition that started in 1930 still continues today with the youngest generation working at the family fish market during summer break as they learn the business much like their predecessors did.
When meat was rationed during WWII, fish wasn't - that offered an opportunity for the company to grow. Prior to refrigerated trucks, a family member would drive to Boston and return with a heavily iced load of fresh seafood right from the major markets.
The Anagnos family had the same commitment to the locals back then as it does now, to provide the freshest seafood possible accompanied with friendly & reliable service.
Genos' grandson, John Anagnos, son of George, began working at the family business when he was 9 years old -moving boxes, sweeping floors and doing whatever was needed to help out. When he was 16 he was earning 60 cents an hour and soon moved up to a dollar and hour as he took on more responsibility.
As a young man, John worked the retail counter and also took the large trailer truck to NYC's Fulton Fish Market area once a week to pick up the best selection of fish, shellfish and lobsters available. He would arrive very early in the morning when it was still dark in what was in those days a notoriously dangerous area of NYC. In those early days, competition was fierce with 20 to 30 other Fish Markets in the Hartford area. City Fish Market always sought to deliver the best product and the best service and that has paid off in the unmatched longevity of the City Fish brand and loyalty of their longtime customers.
John Anagnos, with his 4 children working beside him, was at the helm of City Fish Market for nearly 25 years and was an integral part of the legacy of the company. He taught his children the business and what it means to have a good reputation through loyalty, integrity, quality and hard work.
Today, John's children-George, Michele and Davina-continue in their father's footsteps, fostering growth and trust through good relations with their employees, vendors and customers.
City Fish Market's Modern Facility
In 1967 the changing landscape on Front Street forced City Fish Market to search for a new home. The move was made to the current location in Wethersfield CT which allowed for more space in a modern facility. The building was purchased and remodeled to fit the needs of a growing fish market. John designed the new building to accommodate the flow of wholesale products and the retail area for the new operation creating an efficient system that is still in place today!
