Lamia Super Deli, a long-standing Greek food institution on Marrickville Road, has closed its doors after more than half a century of serving the Sydney community.<\/h4>\n
The family-run deli was known for its range of traditional Greek products, including dolmades, feta, eggplant yemista, fresh moussaka and signature sandwiches. Customers regularly travelled across the city to shop there, with one describing it as \u201cthe heart and soul of Marrickville Road\u201d in the suburb\u2019s \u201cLittle Greece\u201d precinct.<\/p>\n Celebrated Greek-Australian chef Peter Conistis said the deli played an important role in his food education. \u201cI remember as a little kid they\u2019d pass cheeses and olives over the counter to try,\u201d he said. When Conistis opened his first restaurant, Cosmos, in Darlinghurst, he would regularly visit Lamia \u201cto see what was in from Greece.\u201d The deli also stocked more unusual items, such as lamb dripping and tinned flying squid.<\/p>\n Father and son Harry and Jim Cotsinis, who ran the business, attributed the closure to rising operating costs, higher import prices and the broader challenges of recent years. \u201cLike so many small family businesses, the rising cost of doing business, increasing import prices and the challenges of the last few years have made it harder to keep going,\u201d they wrote on the deli\u2019s Instagram page.<\/p>\n Jim Cotsinis has also spoken publicly about the pressure on small business margins and criticised tax changes in the federal budget that he said reduced incentives for owners hoping to eventually sell.<\/p>\n The closure comes amid other losses in Marrickville\u2019s Greek business community. The Greek-owned Fruit Mart on Illawarra Road, a local fixture since 1969, shut in May. While many Greek venues continue to operate in the increasingly multicultural suburb, the loss of long-established specialist stores such as Lamia highlights the challenges facing traditional family-run food businesses.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/greekcitytimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/148258733_3947422635333603_6410411146494893494_n.webp)
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