Young people in the old comic strips and on television always seemed to have their favorite "hangout," such as a malt shop or drive-in restaurant.

For Archie and his comic-strip gang in Riverdale, it was "Pop’s Chok’lit Shoppe." Richie, Ralph, Pottsie and The Fonz, of the "Happy Days" television show, hung out at Arnold’s.

Up until 1977, youngsters, and all ages for that matter, had Pete’s Delhi Candy Shop as a favorite place to spend leisure time.

Peter and Catherine Yonclas had been the owners of the popular candy store on Main Street since 1926. They were ready for retirement in 1977 and went to Orlando, Fla.

The store had retained its old-fashioned appearance, with little changes since the previous remodeling -- in 1930.

Yonclas came to this country from Greece in 1923. His cousin and uncle had operated the store for about nine years before he arrived, when he took over the operations.

Yonclas, better known as "Pete" on the streets of Delhi, spoke happily of people he had met over the years. As he celebrated his 50th anniversary of operating the store in 1973, Yonclas told an Oneonta Star reporter, "My legs get tired from standing all day, but that doesn’t stop me."

Despite that old-fashioned look, Pete’s customers included high school and college students. Fraternity and sorority plaques and paddles from Delhi Tech adorned the walls. Most of the day, three generations of Delhi residents came in for coffee, sandwiches and soda-fountain treats at the marble counter or the wooden benches and booths in the back of the store.

The store had a sheet-metal ceiling pressed into decorative patterns, dark paneling with mirrors on the walls, glass-topped tables, dim wall lights, electric chandeliers and three ceiling fans.

Yonclas probably didn’t modernize his store for a reason. One of his favorite things was the reaction people had when they came into the store for the first time.

"Four girls who were on their way to college in Oneonta came in one day," Yonclas said. "They couldn’t believe it. They told me they never saw anything like it. I guess there aren’t many places like this left."

Yonclas made his candies and ice cream in the back of the store. The candies were put on display in the front window. From the street, you never saw them until after the time the morning sun had left, as shades were drawn for protection.

Youths in the comic strips and television were portrayed as well-behaved in the malt shops and drive-ins. This wasn’t always the case at Pete’s.

Dorothy Lane, who worked as a waitress there in the 1960s, recalled a jukebox that sometimes became a bone of contention between Yonclas and his youthful patrons.

Other Delhi residents recalled how Yonclas wouldn’t tolerate any rowdy students in his store. A few of them were escorted to the door from time to time. They always went back by the next day and were accepted.

Pete’s was a special place for Neal Lane. He met his wife, Dorothy, when she worked at the store. She wouldn’t talk to him, Neal said, because she said she was too busy.

Pete’s Delhi Candy Store closed for the final time Nov. 10, 1977. Pete kept on making candy until the day he left Delhi on Nov. 7. He made enough a day earlier to keep the store stocked until the sale papers were signed on the 10th.

The store became a branch store of the Susan Shop of Walton.

This weekend: During the Depression, the old Hartwick Seminary took on a new use.

City Historian Mark Simonson’s column appears twice weekly. On Saturdays, his column focuses on the area during the Depression and before. His Monday columns address local history after the Depression. If you have feedback or ideas about the column, write to him at The Daily Star, or e-mail him at simmark@stny.rr.com. His website is www.oneontahistorian.com.