Living frugally on wages as busboys and bartenders in downtown hotels, they pooled their savings of $3500 in 1914 and in partnership with two other Greeks, they constructed a modest nickelodeon at 1420 Market Street on the site of today's Kiel Opera House.
With limited financial resources, the individuals worked as servers in downtown hotels, pooling their $3500 in 1914 to co-found a modest cinema at 1420 Market Street, where the Kiel Opera House currently stands.