Cincinnati Magazine
May 6, 2021
A smiling Jim Aglamesis greets you at the long marble counter of the Oakley flagship of Aglamesis Bro’s. With twinkling eyes, natty tie, and a white smock coat, “Mr. A” looks like he’s about to slip you a sample of mocha chip ice cream. But it’s not the patriarch of the beloved candy and ice cream business in the flesh; it’s an oversized photo—an homage to Mr. A, who died in January, aged 93.
Illustration by Colleen O’Hara
Between the death of the son of Greek immigrants who led the company since the 1950s and the pandemic, which halted the genteel table service in back of the store, it might seem like the end of the line for the fabled sweet shop. Even the exterior is looking a little down in the dumps, a slab of marble warping off the facade. A carry-out customer was recently overheard stage-whispering that “Things just aren’t the same since Mr. A passed away.”