Coney Island’s Williams Candy is the hidden star of Oscar-winning ‘Anora’
Peter Agrapides Jr. stands outside the iconic neon yellow and red of Williams Candy, a historical and beloved feature of Coney Island. Brooklyn Eagle photo by Ashlyn Beck
By Ashlyn Beck
March 7, 2025
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CONEY ISLAND — The team who created “Anora” celebrated in Hollywood as the film took home five Oscars Sunday, March 2, but Coney Island’s Williams Candy owners and employees held a celebration of their own for the film that showcased the historical candy store.
“Anora” follows a sex worker and her unlikely romance with a son of a Russian Oligarch. The film shows the two running around Brighton Beach, Sheepshead Bay, Mill Basin and Coney Island, where Williams Candy debuts on the silver screen.
Williams Candy owner Peter Agrapides Jr. turned over his shop for the day in winter of 2022 to the independent filmmakers asking to feature it, but he never expected the level of success and recognition that “Anora” received.
“It was just these regular people. It wasn’t a big movie, just a small group of people scouting around,” Agrapides said.
Since the movie’s success, tourists have come to Coney Island hoping to get a glimpse of the neon and candy-apple clad store tucked between the Coney Island boardwalk and Surf Avenue, and Agrapides anticipates more as summer gets closer.
SUNSET PARK — “As a resident of Marine Park, one of the great surprises I found biking around Industry City and visiting Japan Village was to discover Bush Terminal Park. I continue to be amazed at the serene hideaways that the city offers in some of the busiest places — and, still, with an iconic view.”
BROOKLYN HEIGHTS — ‘A miracle that no one was killed …’ That’s what neighbors are saying about the collapse of the Hotel St. George marquee. Shown in this photograph are workmen beginning the removal and repair of the historic, old neon sign at the corner, referencing a relic of Brooklyn Heights’ past: the St. George Hotel.
ATLANTIC AVENUE — Exhausted shopper with cluster of bags and goods from mall at Boerum Place stops to look at huge construction site across the street. “Is that REALLY going to be a jail??” Her male companion is reassuring, “Nothing like Rikers … this is 21st Century.”
BROOKLYN HEIGHTS — Overheard in line at one of most popular pastry outlets on Montague Street: “Hope I can get them into a camp …” A mother with two pre-schoolers in tow was showing a friend the Dodge Y flyer for Healthy Kids Day on Saturday, April 18.
