Newtown Edgmont Friends & Neighbors is pleased to introduce you to The Calliagas Family: Niko, Jen, Daphne and Mikalia. For Jen and Niko Calliagas, their home feels best when it’s filled with family, friends and food.
Jen grew up in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, with five siblings, three sisters and two brothers. She attended Richland Elementary before moving during high school, eventually graduating from Big Spring High School in 1998 after also attending schools in Carlisle and Johnstown. She was active in the National Honor Society, Art Club and Scholastic Art Awards, interests that reflected her creative spirit from a young age.
That passion led her to Temple University, where she earned a Bachelor of Architecture degree in 2004. Like many college students in a demanding program, Jen supported herself while studying. “I waitressed and bartended my way through college,” she said. One of the highlights of her time at Temple was a semester studying in Rome in 2003, which deepened her appreciation for architecture, art and culture.
Today, Jen serves as Director of North American Planning and Development for Urban Outfitters Inc. (URBN), where she has spent nearly two decades helping guide a wide variety of projects. “I started my career in corporate and health care design before moving to URBN,” she explained.
“I began designing Anthropologie and Free People stores, eventually moving into planning and development of retail stores, restaurants, event
venues across the brands as well as corporate infrastructure projects.” She describes the work as both challenging and rewarding. “It’s very fast-paced with many types of projects, and I’m always learning something new,” she said. After 18 years with the company, Jen also values the relationships she has built. “My coworkers feel like family.”
Niko’s story begins in Northeast Philadelphia, where he grew up in a hardworking family. His parents owned a lunch truck that served students at Drexel University, and Niko spent much of his youth helping out. He also worked at his cousin’s pizza shop in Bensalem throughout high school and college. “That’s where I learned my work ethic,” he explained. “When you grow up in a family business like that, you learn quickly that everyone has to pull their weight.”
Niko attended Clara Barton Middle School in the Feltonville neighborhood before graduating from Archbishop Ryan High School in 1993. Like Jen, he later enrolled at Temple University, studied in Rome, and completed the five-year Bachelor of Architecture program in 2000. After college, he began working with architecture firms in Princeton and Philadelphia, then made a significant shift during the financial downturn of 2008. “When the market changed, I pivoted into the construction industry,” he said.
That pivot eventually led to the creation of his own company, OKIN Pivot LLC, a design-build firm focused on high-end residential projects in the Philadelphia suburbs. For Niko, the most satisfying part of the job is seeing ideas become reality. “I love taking a set of drawings and bringing it to life,” he explained. “Seeing the client’s face when they walk into their new home or project space with a smile is an amazing feeling.”
Architecture also played a role in bringing Jen and Niko together. The two met at Temple University in the architecture program, and Niko still remembers the moment clearly. “Jen walked off the elevator one day and that was it,” he said. “I was in love.”
Their relationship grew as they shared interests in art, design, music, food and travel. One of their favorite traditions during Jen’s demanding thesis year was grabbing dinner from Wawa and sitting together at the top of the Art Museum steps in Philadelphia. The two would talk for hours about life and the future. “We would sit there and talk about everything,” Niko recalled. “It was our place.”
When the time came to propose, Niko knew exactly where to go. On January 13th, after dinner in Old City, he brought Jen back to those same museum steps. “We went up to the top again as we had done so many times before,” he said. “It felt like the perfect place to ask her to marry me.”
They were married in May 2007 at St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Philadelphia. The celebration was filled with family, friends, food and plenty of dancing. Despite carefully planning nearly every detail, they missed one. “We planned everything except how we were getting back to the hotel,” Jen said with a laugh. By the end of the night, most of the guests had already left, so the newlyweds ended up cramming into Niko’s cous-
in’s Camaro, with Jen’s big wedding dress taking up most of the back seat.
Their honeymoon took them to Greece, where Niko’s family has deep roots. They began on the island of Chios so Jen could meet relatives and experience the villages where much of Niko’s family history began. They also traveled to Athens, Santorini, Crete and the small island of Koufonisi. “It’s a true paradise.”
After they returned home, Niko and Jen briefly lived in a townhouse in Northeast Philadelphia before moving to Glenside. They spent years renovating that home before realizing they wanted a place where they could put down roots and raise their family. “We loved the house and the neighbors, but wanted more space,” Niko explained.
Their search lasted nearly two years, but Jen and Niko had a clear vision of what they wanted. “We were looking for a bigger property where we could have a large garden,” they said. Being closer to family also mattered, since Jen’s brother lives in North Wilmington and her sister in Chadds Ford.
Then one day, something unexpected happened. “I drove by this house for sale after work and immediately fell in love with the property and the neighborhood,” Jen recalled. The house had been empty and needed significant work, but she saw its potential. “It needed a lot of love, but I just knew it could be something special.”
They scheduled a showing right away and submitted an offer, only to learn another buyer had already been accepted. “We were very disappointed, but kept it on our watch list just in case something happened,” she said.
Then two months later, they learned that the deal fell through. Jen and Niko rushed to see the home again, listed their Glenside house and submitted an offer, but again, the seller accepted another offer. Determined not to give up, Jen asked their realtor to submit a backup offer. A week later, the phone rang. “The third time was the charm,” Jen said. The previous buyers had backed out, and the house they had dreamed about was finally theirs.
Jen and Niko have spent the past eight years pouring love, and hard work into transforming the property. Their home reflects both of their talents as architects and builders, but the outdoor space has become a family favorite. Their large garden produces more vegetables than they could ever use, and much is shared with friends and neighbors who stop by. Niko also enjoys turning the harvest into homemade sauce that lasts through the winter months. Chickens roam the property as well, providing fresh eggs that are just as likely to be shared as the vegetables.
Their daughters, Daphne and Mikalia, bring energy, creativity, and plenty of personality to the household. Daphne is 17 and attends Penncrest High School, where she participates in soccer, indoor and spring track, the National Honor Society, National Art Honor Society, Civic Club and The Women’s Literary Club. In her free time, she enjoys drawing and painting and cheering on other Penncrest teams.
Daphne is currently visiting colleges and exploring possible paths, including atmospheric science or a combination of art and business. Her artistic talents seem fitting for someone who spent much of her childhood putting on performances at home. “She was always dressing up, singing and putting on shows,” Jen recalled.
Her younger sister Mikalia, 14, also attends Penncrest High School and has developed a strong passion for field hockey. She serves as the Penncrest varsity goalie and also plays for the Powerhouse Field Hockey Club during the winter and spring. In the summer, she swims with the Hidden Hollow Swim Team.
Mikalia also enjoys baking and often fills the kitchen with homemade desserts, and is participating in the newly-formed flag football club at school. Looking ahead, she hopes to study business or entrepreneurship in college and would love to continue playing field hockey at the collegiate level.
Completing the household is Bruno, their energetic French Bulldog, who will turn one this April. Niko first spotted him unexpectedly at Home Depot, where the breeder had the puppies in a cart after taking them for vaccinations. “I saw Bruno and instantly fell in love,” Niko says. “We weren’t even looking for a puppy.”
Community also plays an important role in their lives. “There’s a lot of diversity here with families who have been here for generations and families who are new to the area,” Jen said. “But the one thing everyone shares is how family-oriented the community is.”
They are active members of St. George Greek Orthodox Church in Media, where Niko volunteers during the church’s annual festival. Jen also participates in neighborhood improvement projects in Philadelphia with Achievability and supports charitable events such as the Great Chefs Event benefiting Alex’s Lemonade Stand.
The family enjoys spending time outdoors together, often walking through nearby Ridley Creek State Park. At home, one of their most meaningful traditions is sitting down together for dinner nearly every night, even when sports schedules push the meal later. “We’re at a really fun phase with the girls right now,” Jen said. “The dinner conversations can get pretty crazy and we all end up laughing.”
Their home is rarely quiet for long because Jen and Niko love hosting gatherings and bringing people together. Christmas Eve features a Feast of the Seven Fishes with Niko’s family, fol- lowed days later by a large holiday two-day celebration with Jen’s extended family that can include nearly 20 people. Greek Easter, summer family reunions, pasta dinners for the girls’ sports teams and many smaller gatherings fill the calendar.
Travel is another important part of family life. Every few years, they visit Greece so the girls can spend time with relatives and experience another culture. Niko has even returned during the fall olive harvest to help produce fresh olive oil that is later shipped back home.
The family also loves exploring new places together. One memorable road trip through Arizona brought them to the Grand Canyon, Antelope Canyon and the red rocks of Sedona. At one point, they nearly ran out of gas after discovering a station on their map had closed, forcing them to turn off the air conditioning and coast toward town on fumes.
Another unforgettable trip took them to Iceland, where they swam between continental plates, hiked glaciers in strong winds and watched icebergs drift across glacial lagoons. Yet the moment the girls remember most happened on the final night, when businesses were closed, and the family stayed in a tiny house Airbnb with no wifi. They shared bread and cheese, played cards and spent the evening telling jokes together.
For Jen and Niko, those moments reflect the values they try to build into everyday life. Hard work, creativity, family traditions and a welcoming home remain at the center of everything they do. Their house is more than a renovation project completed over eight years. It is a gathering place where laughter fills the dinner table, friends leave with vegetables from the garden and family memories continue to grow.