Miles in her shoes

When Bob Alshuler made his way into Newport Center Orthopedics’ small storefront, he knew he needed to speak to Stella.

Without hesitation, the tiny Greek woman with snow white hair and a proud smile inched her way over to Alshuler and began measuring his feet.

“She is the only one who knows how to help me,” Alshuler said of store owner Stella Chavos.

For years Alshuler has come to Chavos for orthopedic shoes and specialized stockings to boost circulation in his legs. He’s one of dozens of customers who depend on the care of the 84-year-old who has dedicated her life to meeting the medical needs of Newport Beach.

Now, on the eve of her orthopedic store’s 40th anniversary, Chavos is donating nearly $90,000 worth of medical supplies to Saint Vincent de Paul in honor of the Catholic church, which helped her during her most difficult moments.

“My father always told me how important charity was,” she said. “I think more businesses should be involved in the community, rather than just making money. You have to give back.”

BABY STEPS

A step into Newport Center Orthopedics’ storefront is like a glimpse of the Chavos family tree. Behind the counter, you’re likely to find elder son Frank Chavos, or his brother Tony and wife Lisa.

With more than $1 million a year in sales, the eight-person family business has grown into a medical powerhouse and a resource for cancer patients.

But times weren’t always good. Stella Chavos said starting the company with her late husband, James, was a testament to perseverance. A World War II medic, James Chavos decided to start a medical supply store after seeing a friend’s business in Bethesda, Md.

“There were cows still roaming the hills and MacArthur Boulevard was just a two-lane road,” she said of the area when the couple’s business opened.

The medical center where she set up shop had just been completed and occupied by a few doctors, while construction crews worked to finish Fashion Island.

It took eight difficult years, a period punctuated by fear and many prayers, to get the business to turn a profit. But even during the roughest times, the good-natured family members did whatever they could to entertain themselves.

“I remember once when my son Tony was upset and learned about a strike while watching television,” Stella Chavos said. “The day when he came in, he held a sign in front of the store and said he wasn’t going to work anymore.”

And the family slowly developed its niche.

“We separated ourselves through service,” Chavos said. “My husband always said this business would survive not on products, or money, but on service.”

CHARITY FROM TRAGEDY

With the business’s success came tragedy. In 1976, James Chavos suffered a heart attack and died.

It surprised and devastated Stella Chavos, who thought of her 52-year-old husband as a picture of perfect health.

“He never smoked, he never drank, and he always watched his diet,” she said.

Besides her family, Stella sought help from a close family friend, a nun at Our Lady Queen of Angels Catholic Church in Newport Beach. Through her help, Chavos developed a bond with the church, a relationship that continued even after Chavos helped create one of the first Greek Orthodox churches in Newport.

The bond is what inspired her recently to donate more than 1,100 pairs of orthopedic shoes to the Saint Vincent de Paul Society to be given out to needy families and sold in their stores to fund Catholic organizations.

NEW DIRECTION

The recent donation to the Saint Vincent de Paul marks more than a charitable contribution for Chavos ? it also means a career change.

After years of providing orthopedic support to residents all over Southern California, Chavos said she’s transitioning into cancer treatment, helping patients who have lymphedema.

For decades now, Chavos has been specializing in leg and arms wraps that help reduce swelling that results from lymphedema treatment. Now she says she wants to make it her new focus.

“It really gives you a new mobility and boosts your appearance,” Tony Chavos said.

Stella Chavos has been lecturing on the new treatment at local medical institutions, and many area doctors are taking an interest in the treatment.

“We have patients who come here with a prescription,” said Chavos’ daughter-in-law Lisa Chavos, “but it doesn’t say anything about drugs or medication.” The pad just says, ‘Go See Stella.’ “dpt.07-sunday-2-CPhotoInfoTE1QN44O20060507iyton0ncKENT TREPTOW / DAILY PILOT(LA)Above, Stella Chavos, right, jokes with 30-year customer Bob Alshuler, as she measures his calf at Newport Center Orthopedic. Below, Joe Kay and Maureen Haskins of the St. Vincent de Paul Society thank Chavos, right, for donating 1,141 pairs of orthopedic shoes to the Catholic charity. dpt.07-sunday-1-BPhotoInfoTE1QN43V20060507iytokjncNo Caption