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Andreas Papangelopoulos, right, is shown with his wife, Nicole, and crepe maker, John Cheslek, on their final day at Penelope's Creperie, in the Downtown Market.

GRAND RAPIDS, MI - After enduring two Michigan winters, Andreas and Nicole Papangelopoulos have closed Penelope's Creperie in the Downtown Market and are heading to a warm summer in Andreas' native Greece.

"We had a good experience with the market and we want that known," Nicole Papangelopoulos said on Wednesday, May 11.

The couple closed their business earlier in the week.

"We had two good years and we're very happy with the way the business went," said Papangelopoulos, a West Michigan native who met her husband while living in Greece.

"We went from a country that has 300 days of sun a year to a city that has about 60," she said with a laugh.

The couple is hoping their two small children will get to know their Greek cousins over the summer before deciding on their next home, which is likely to be in a warmer place, she said.

The couple, which owned a creperie in Athens for more than five years, specialized in made-to-order crepes and other Mediterranean dishes, including salads and desserts.

While their business did well, Papangelopoulos said their sales suffered after the open space next to their stand became a construction site for the Social Kitchen and Bar, a full-service restaurant that opened in the past two weeks.

Previously, the area served as an impromptu food court in which families could gather and dine after purchasing food from the 20-some vendors in the market. Now, those diners have limited seating on the ground floor and must carry their purchases to the market's second floor food court, she said.

"We knew that one day that space would become a restaurant," Papangelopoulos said. "Once that seating was lost, we lost a lot of families."

Other vendors offering more traditional American dishes also affected sales, she said. "Americans love tacos, burgers and pizza. The real true specialty foods don't have the same standing in America and West Michigan."

Since opening in September, 2013, the $30 million Downtown Market has seen several of its original vendors leave, including its meat market, which closed late last year and is being replaced this summer.

In March, market officials announced Chris McKellar, the founder and owner of Love's Ice Cream, is adding a pizzeria called "Rocket Pies" and moving into a space that was previously occupied by a produce stand.

The new location will also serve to expand Love's Ice Cream's shop and provide seating for 40 market visitors.

Jim Harger covers business for Mlive Media Group. Email him at jharger@mlive.com or follow him on Twitter or Facebook or Google+.