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October 27-28, 2023
Southern Foodways Symposium ⟶
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October 27-28, 2023
Southern Foodways Symposium ⟶

Oral Histories

The SFA oral history program documents life stories from the American South. Collecting these stories, we honor the people whose labor defines the region. If you would like to contribute to SFA’s oral history collections, please send your ideas for oral history along with your CV or Resume and a portfolio of prior oral history work to info@southernfoodways.org.

< Back to Oral History project: Charlotte’s Central Avenue Corridor

ORAL HISTORY

Jimmy & Louisa Kleto

Central Coffee

Jimmy and Louisa Kleto opened Central Coffee Company in 2009. Jimmy was born and raised in Charlotte to first-generation Greek parents. His grandparents came to Charlotte in the 1950s from Agrinion, Greece. The coffee shop is housed in a building his grandparents own, two blocks away from their first home in Charlotte. Central Coffee Company is a full service coffee and espresso shop.

Date of interview:
2017-03-11

Interviewer:
Victoria Bouloubasis

Photographer:
Peter Taylor

Download Transcript

“

"I think this place like gives everybody that comes in a little special feeling, 'Oh, this is my place too.' It’s very much come in here and be yourself. Everybody’s just a little funky enough that it’s a great place. Nobody’s super weird. Nobody’s not weird. They’re just the right amount of kooky." - Louisa Kleto

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