Editorâs Note: This is the 371st in a series of articles recalling vanished Huntington scenes.
UNTINGTON â The two families who opened the Renaissance Book Company & Coffee House came up with the concept for the store independently.
Neurosurgeon Dr. Panos Ignatiadis and his wife, Patricia, long had been talking about the need for a bookstore in downtown Huntington. So had Peter Levy and his wife, Kelly. Initially the two couples didnât know each other, but before long they got together, talked things over and decided to make their individual dreams a mutual reality.
The new partners considered several possible locations for their new store but decided to locate in the former home of the Star Furniture Co. at 831 4th Ave. After extensive building renovations that included a new roof, new heating and air conditioning, wiring and plumbing, the store opened for business June 18, 1994. The owners credited construction manager Frank Wilkinson with pulling together the nec