Olympia Candy Kitchen

The Olympia Candy Kitchen opened its doors on South Main Street in Chambersburg, PA in 1903. In the early years the Olympia was combination soda fountain and candy store, a popular downtown dining spot where business folks met for lunch and where the after-school crowd converged. Families came too, to enjoy the Olympia's fine ice cream creations and take home some fine hand-dipped chocolates. In 1919, after apprenticing under a master candy maker and longing to go into business for himself George Pananes, and his brother James, purchased the Olympia Candy Kitchen from founder J.K. Proferes and carried on the tradition of the finest confections and the freshest homemade soups and sandwiches in the area. This commitment and passion carried them through the hard times of the Great Depression and World War II. During this time though, elder brother James saw it fit to retire to a simpler life, so George and his wife Irene gladly ran the business while raising a family of three children - daughters Martha, Billie and son Will.