Day: January 23, 2025

Williams Candy, a beloved 84-year-old Coney Island landmark, is enjoying a sweet moment in the spotlight after the film “Anora,” which filmed pivotal scenes in the store, earned six Oscar nominations Thursday.

The store at the corner of Surf Avenue provided a vibrant backdrop for scenes in the critically acclaimed drama about a young sex worker from Brooklyn who impulsively marries the son of a Russian billionaire. Coney Island was not the only Brooklyn location featured in the film, with Brighton Beach, Sheepshead Bay, Mill Basin, and Midwood filling out the rest of the movie’s canvas.

Directed by Sean Baker, “Anora” was nominated on Jan. 23 for Best Picture, Best Actress in a Leading Role for Mikey Madison, Best Supporting Actor for Yura Borisov, Best Editing, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Director.

Store owner Peter Agrapides said he and his staff plan to cheer on the “Anora” team on Oscar night, March 2, despite having mixed emotions about seeing his beloved business get “broken up” on the big screen.

“It was a hard watch. It looked like they were destroying my store,” said Agrapides. “It’s nice that it got nominated. We’re very happy for ‘Anora,’ but I went through hell that day. There were so many people here, and I didn’t know what was happening in my store.”

During a one-day shoot in March 2022, the production team rearranged the store and replaced several display cases with sugar glass for a demolition scene. The film also portrays the store as having ties to the Russian mafia and shows workers smoking cannabis on the job — depictions Agrapides stressed were fiction.

The Agrapides family has deep roots in the Coney community. In 1975, the family opened Pete’s Clam Stop, and in 1982, after the original owner of Williams Candy passed away, they took over the candy business next door. Since then, Williams Candy has remained true to being an old fashioned candy store where everything is made in store, offering their homemade candy apples and other classic treats.

While the store’s appearance in “Anora” brought a welcome boost to business during the quiet off-season, most visitors are eager to meet Billy O’Brien, a local legend who appears in the film.

O’Brien, 75, a longtime friend of the Agrapides family, has been a fixture on the Coney Island boardwalk since his teenage years, working at the rides and amusements. Typically, he works as a parking lot attendant behind Williams Candy and helps out at the shop during the summer months.

When the Anora crew filmed at the store, O’Brien was plucked from obscurity to play the fictional store owner.

He told Brooklyn Paper he was apprehensive about taking the role at first but, after some persuasion from friends, said, ” Yeah, alright.”

“I did it for the store,” he said. “It’s the best store in Coney Island. Everything is made here.”

Anora is not O’Brien’s first brush with Hollywood. In 2017, he was an extra in Woody Allen’s film “Wonder Wheel. But for now, he has no plans to pursue further acting.

“He’s gotten a lot of attention this winter,” Agrapides said with a laugh. “Imagine this summer when fans see him. I might put up a sign on his parking shed that says, ‘Star of Anora.’”

O’Brien joked that fame might come with its own challenges. “They’ll be haunting me all day in the parking lot,” he said. “You’ve got to wait, I’ve got to park the car first. Parking attendant only, don’t bother me.”

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