He stowed away on a merchant vessel bound for America. Shortly after being discovered, he worked as a shipmate to pay for his passage across the Atlantic. Nick arrived at Ellis Island, NY with only minimal possessions, but he had a great desire to pursue the American dream. Today you can find his name inscribed on The American Immigrant Wall of Honor on Ellis Island. Upon his arrival in America, Nick first settled in East Liverpool, OH where he worked and then later opened a small restaurant. It was in East Liverpool that Nick met the woman he would marry, Stella Prout, also a German immigrant herself. When able, Nick sent money back home to Greece so that his younger brother and sister could join him in America. Shortly after his brother and sister’s arrival to America, Nick turned the restaurant business over to his brother. Nick and his wife Stella then moved to Zanesville, OH and in 1927 opened a small second hand furniture store on Main St. named the Zanesville Furniture Company. After World War II Nick’s sons, Paul and Don Coconis began working in the furniture business and the name was changed to Hallmark Furniture. In 1953 a new store location was built in South Zanesville. Several years later Paul’s sons Paul Jr. and Randy joined the business. The store remained in business until 1960 when it was converted for a short time to a restaurant called the Burger House. In 1963 the furniture business was reopened under the name “Furniture Discount House.” Two decades later the store name was finally changed to “Coconis Furniture.”
In 1972 Randy Coconis began working for his father in the Zanesville, Ohio based family furniture business full time just out of high school. He began his career on the delivery truck and then moved into sales and eventually into management. Due to a sudden serious illness that his father suffered, Randy began managing the store in 1981. Five years later after his father’s passing, he and his brother “Paul Jr.” became owners. Under Randy’s leadership Coconis Furniture has grown from six employees to over eighty and is one of Ohio’s largest family owned furniture retailers. The South Zanesville store’s showroom has grown from 5,000 square feet to now over 70,000 square feet. A modern 30,000 square foot warehouse was constructed in 2005. In 2010, a second location was opened in Zanesville, Ohio named The Room Store and Mattress 1st Gallery. In 2014, Coconis Furniture & Mattress 1st opened a 30,000 square foot store in Heath, OH. Today, Randy is proud to have his two sons, Chad and Kyle (Bo) involved in the family business, making them the fourth generation who are innovating and growing the company. Coconis Furniture attributes its success to the dedicated help and enthusiasm of its many valued employees, some of whom have been with the company for over twenty years.
