An image of the Gayety's Candy Shop employees. The image is quite wrinkled and stained, but the picture is still easy to make out. Across the front "Gayety's Candy Shop" is written in white ink. In the bottom right corner it also says "Alumet Studio." Finally, at the bottom of the image the year "1940" is written in blue ink. Papageorge (owner) is in the middle and is flanked by his staff.

Gayety's is one of the oldest candy shops in the Chicagoland area and is one of the first Greek-owned shops. It has a long and rich tradition of hand-dipping chocolates and sweets that dates back to 1920.

Founder James Papageorge bought Gayety's Chocolates and Ice Cream Company in 1920, and established it next door to the Gayety movie theater in South Chicago (Lansing). The movie theater has since left, but the ice cream parlor continues to thrive as a third-generation family-owned gathering place for neighbors, friends, families and colleagues.

James Papageorge was nine years old when he arrived by himself in the United States, from Tripoli, Greece. He landed penniless. But he worked hard, earning money by scooping ice cream at the local ice cream parlor and selling fruit at the local fruit stand.

By 1920, he had saved enough to buy Gayety's Chocolates and Ice Cream Company. A perfectionist who wore a suit to work every day, James developed recipes still in use today. His portrait hangs in the entrance of Gayety's.

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