Seven Cities, Seven Stories: Tacoma, Washington

A large contingency of Ottoman Greek immigrants in Tacoma, like in San Francisco and Los Angeles, originated from the island of Marmara. Unlike those two West Coast cities however, the majority of Marmarians in Tacoma were from the town of Gallime and not Afthone.

In the early 20th century, Tacoma Washington was home to many industries from cardboard boxes to furniture. In addition, Tacoma maintained a vibrant fishing community on its oceanfront. Undergirding these industries was a widely known confectionery sector. This was the business sector that Ottoman Greek immigrants of Tacoma were particularly successful in.

A shining example of Tacoma’s early 20th-century confectionery sector was the Peter Evans Bakery which is still operational as the “Bakery Boys Northwest” Bakery, although it is no longer owned by the Evans family. Ethel Anne Barbas recalls her family's bakery.

Anna Karanasos, a second generation descendant of Ottoman Greek immigrants who was born and raised in Tacoma, recalls that the Gallimetiko Society of Tacoma was a particularly active organization and its connection to Ammouliane, a town in Northern Greece that received immigrants and refugees from Gallime, Marmara.

"[They sent] money and clothes to Greece. You know, World War II had broken out. And my dad - all the Greeks here - sent packages back to Greece. Clothes and flour and cheeses, somethings that would not get moldy. [They sent financial assistance] to Ammouliane - to get water there or to build the school or something like that … because [the residents] were mostly Gallimianoi. They [also] raised funds to help the church … the church came first."

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