A group of old colleagues, current employees and long-time customers came together on Saturday to celebrate 60 years since the opening of a shop that has touched many lives.
Ainslie IGA celebrated its 60th birthday this week and has stayed in the Xyrakis ownership through the generations, even before it was the IGA.
As current owner Manuel Xyrakis looked at the crowd of people who came to celebrate the shop on the day, he said he considered them more as family than anything else.
He said as he could recognise faces from many years past.
"I'm overwhelmed. These people are my family, because growing up, I spent much more time here than what I ever did at home and with family," he said.
"We have been reminiscing, we are talking about stories, and we are laughing about what some of these guys did when they were younger.
"I don't see them as customers and staff, I see them as my family."
Previous employee Cath Day, who started working at the IGA in the 80s when she was 14, said the welcoming nature and connection to her colleagues is something she has taken with her throughout her life.
"I worked here after school and on the weekends and it was such a beautiful place to work, we all felt like family," she said.
"We all became such good friends - when I worked here, I actually used to babysit the Xyrakis kids.
"It helped me so much with future jobs, it taught me how to deal with staff, how to speak to customers, and also just morals and ethics as well."
Tony Gelonesi, who worked with Cath in the 80s, said his job at the IGA was one of the best he ever had.
"I used to work in a takeaway shop next door in the early 80s, and then the owner of that shop sold it and left and Manuel asked me to work at the IGA," he said.
"There was a big difference in working at the two shops, it was a lot of fun working here back in the day.
"There was such a big family atmosphere and we all got on so well with each other."
The job was so enjoyable, another previous employee Tony Giampaolo said, he even kept working there on the weekends despite starting work in the public service.
Mr Giampaolo said he has a lot to thank both Manuel and his father Nick Xyrakis for.
"The work ethic that I learned from working here has stayed with me for my whole life," he said.
"It was the way both Manuel and his father taught. Manuel's father was still here with us when I worked here, and he was very much the big chief.
"We have so much to thank him for."
Mr Xyrakis said he is excited to see what the future holds for Ainslie IGA.
"When we did a celebration for 40 years, people were asking me what to expect from here, and I was saying 'don't jinx me like that!'. Now I'm saying 'hey, bring on the next 60 years!'," he said.
"I have such a strong belief in my family will continue the legacy and the shop will carry on.
"They will embrace it, because they end up loving the community and loving the family we build, just like I have."
