Minos Polichronakis is now a familiar face in the New York City Subway as he is the new image of the promotion of the American Dream.
“In 1969 I arrived at Kennedy with 138 dollars and a lot of guts. You gotta have some guts,” a poster with Polichronakis’s face reads inside a New York city train.
Polichronakis left the Greek island of Crete in 1969 at the age of 28 with these 13 dollars in his hand. Upon his arrival he began working as a shoe cobbler and ultimately opened his own shop in the World Trade Centre in 1977, toc.gr reports.
Among the businesses that were destroyed by the 9/11 attacks were his store. The destruction had left Polichronakis with a 40,000 dollar debt. However, the Cretan, familiar with hardship, was able to do it again and has recovered since, opening a new store in Wall Street and becoming one of the area’s most well-known shoemakers.
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