The Malfas family business was heading into the last decade of the 20th century, and remained a Holyoke success story for almost 80 years.
Constantine Charles Malfas Sr. became the second generation in his family to retire from Nick’s Nest in 1987. The business was now in the hands of his son, Constantine Charles Jr., to carry on the family tradition. The eatery had weathered many storms, including the economy’s ups and downs, meatpacking strikes, deed zoning regulations, and inclement weather.
Charles Jr. recalled his grandfather saying, “When there are bad times, hang on. When there are good times, save your money, because there are going to be bad times.”
In 1996, the eatery celebrated its 75th anniversary. Prices were again rolled back to the 1920s with 10-cent hot dogs and popcorn, and nickel soft drinks.
The hot dogs were still made from a special secret recipe, steamed, and turned on an oiled tray. When ordered, the hot dogs were placed in a steamed bun, with the customer’s favorite condiments on top. The beans were also cooked using a simple recipe, with little brown sugar or tomato, to retain their flavor. Little had changed with the business over the second half of the 20th century. The addition of raw onions was considered noteworthy. The Malfas family stuck with their successful no-frills formula.
In 2004, Charles Malfas Jr. decided it was time to move on and sell the business. His doctors suggested that he stay off his feet as much as possible due to diabetes and the effects of a bad motorcycle accident in 1979, when he sustained two broken legs. He was out of work for a year and a half as a result of the latter occurrence.
His dream was to move to northern Maine, enjoy the backwoods country life, and contribute time to worthy causes. He hoped to sell the business to someone who would want to keep Nick’s Nest alive, but that was out of his control.
In 2005, after 84 years in the Malfas family, the business and real estate were sold to Kevin and Jennifer (Prajzner) Chateauneuf of Holyoke, and the story of Nick’s Nest continues onward.
Citations:
Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations: Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript & Transcript-Telegram; Springfield (Massachusetts) Republican; publication dates and pages are shown.
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