One of the only dining spots in Holyoke that has retained its name since the early 1930s is Nick’s Nest on Northampton Street. This is more than a story about a restaurant; it is about a hardworking family who built the business and passed it on to future generations, and to the present owners who keep the legend alive today. Several news accounts vary, so, as far as the early years of the business, this is generally accurate.
The story starts with Nicholas Malfas, who emigrated from Greece to the United States in 1907. He was a musician who traveled with his bandmates to the Midwest to play at Greek weddings. The band would be paid by wedding guests who threw dollar bills into a basket throughout the reception. Then it was time to travel to the next Greek wedding or perform in Vaudeville shows.
After growing tired of traveling between Boston and the Midwest to perform, he settled in Holyoke and looked for work. At the time, he resided at 16 Cabot Street and worked at the Farr Alpaca Company and later at a paper mill.
In 1918, he married Katina Panagopoulous, who emigrated from Greece in 1912, and it was time to earn a steady living to support a family. A story goes that she would have no part of Nicholas traveling the country as a musician.
He decided to venture out and start his own business, operating a bright red pushcart selling popcorn throughout South Holyoke.
A youngster’s suggestion in 1921 prompted Mr. Malfas to relocate his pushcart up the hill to the Forestdale Cemetery neighborhood. A police officer asked him to relocate from there, and he moved his cart to the corner of Dwight and Forestdale Ave. At the time, he wondered if his business would be better off back in South Holyoke.
At another youngster’s recommendation, he moved farther up Dwight to St. Jerome Ave. to a location where many parade viewers congregated, especially at Memorial Day and other holidays.
In 1921, he settled in with his pushcart at the busy intersection of Dillon Ave and Northampton Street. He was earning $10 per day selling popcorn. This was a good day’s earnings for the time.
Pushing a popcorn stand up and down a couple of significant hills from Lower Cabot Street became tiresome. He purchased a Model-T chassis and brought it to a company in Chicopee to convert it into a vending truck. However, misfortune struck as a major flood washed the chassis down the river, and there was no insurance to cover the loss.
He retrieved the chassis and decided to build the body himself. In 1922, he traveled back up the hill in the converted stand-up truck and sold hot dogs, peanuts, and candy in addition to popcorn.
A significant change occurred in 1927, when he purchased land and set up a permanent stand at 1603 Northampton Street at the southwest corner of Dillon Ave. As the story proceeds, his friend Izzy Epstein gave Mr. Malfas an old chicken coop, which he converted into a storefront.
He created his unique hot dog recipe, a blend of beef and some pork without fillers. When he approached Holyoke Provision Company to produce the product, a sausage maker was dubious of the final outcome, saying it would not taste good. Several days later, the sausage maker, after producing the hot dog, admitted Mr. Malfas had a good product.
Upon review, federal meat inspectors stated that he could not call the product a hot dog because it was not filled with spices. The sausage maker added pepper to meet the federal standard for calling it a hot dog.
Nicholas Malfas was in a quandary about naming his store. He asked his mother for a suggestion. She said, “What can you call it? It’s just a little nest.” The rest is history.
Several years later, neighbors complained about the stand and went to court to enforce the deed restrictions.
The city solicitor and later the courts found in favor of the neighbors in 1933. The case advanced to the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts, which adhered to the deed restriction and ordered the stand to be moved. Interestingly, the courts ruled that although the stand was on wheels, it was considered a building and as such violated the deed, which specified that only a one-family home could be placed on the land.
In 1934, Mr. Malfas was forced to move from his favorite corner and relocated to 280 Ingleside Street, on the east side, about 200 feet past St. Vincent Street. For a time, he was back in the stand-up truck, selling hot dogs, candy, peanuts, and popcorn.
Six months after moving in, fire struck, destroying the uninsured building. These were different times, as a handshake was as good as a contract. Nicholas Malfas went to his friend, M. J. Walsh of Walsh’s Lumber Yard, to buy lumber to rebuild. The agreement was that Mr. Malfas would repay when he had the money.
Later, 280 Ingleside Street would be the site of Ingleside Auto Sales, a small used-car lot, during the latter 20th century. Presently, this is an empty paved lot without a structure.
In 1935, he purchased a small building on Northampton Street, where the Essex Barbershop and, later, A Head Above, were located for several years. Baked beans were introduced to the menu during World War II due to meat rationing. The store was open only three days a week.
Mr. Malfas remained at that location until 1948. He also partnered with his son Charles Malfas that year. Charles had just been discharged from the U.S. Army. It was during World War II that the family purchased its present site at Dillon Ave. and Northampton Street.
There’s more information to share about this landmark eating establishment in this seven-part series.
Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations: Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript & Transcript-Telegram; Springfield (Massachusetts) Republican; publication dates and pages are shown.
Ancestry.com (paid subscription), Price & Lee Holyoke, Massachusetts City Directories
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