Athenian Restaurant

The Athenian Restaurant was located in a building on Vermilion Street beside the Lockhart and Oxley grocery store. It was open from about 1934 through 1955, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner to the students of Concord College, Athens townsfolk and others from the surrounding area.  

Ralph Mustard and his wife Norma  bought and ran the restaurant until 1954.  At one time they also owned and operated the Sweet Shop. In 1950 the Mustards lived in the apartment on the second floor over the Athenian. Constantine Gus Loizides bought and ran the Athenian Restaurant and his wife Sophia was the cook. They shortened their name to Louis. The Louis’ were emigrants from Turkey. They bought the restaurant on November 18, 1954, and lived in the upstairs apartment. They ran the restaurant until the 1970s. They closed the restaurant and opened a laundromat in the space.

Margaret Ann Scott wrote in the Mercer County History 1984, the following account of the Athenian Restaurant and subsequent Laundry. “LAUNDERETTE-Next to the unfinished foundation is an ugly cinder block building with stairs going up outside. Mr. and Mrs. Lewis  live up here. Below is the Launderette, which is opposite the church. The Laundrette is kept open on Sunday. People even wash on Sunday morning while we are having church services at the Methodist Church. The Laundrette is a great convenience but one of the Ten Commandments says “Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it “Holy.”  

She continued, “This cinder block building was built in the late 1940s, Jackie Oxley, Charlie and Speck’s son, operated an eating place here in the late 40s."

The Athenian Restaurant building was used for many other businesses, including a laundromat, before it was torn down in 2022.  The closing chapter of the building, neighboring businesses and the adjoining apartments is covered in the Change Chapter, "Uptown Store Fronts."