ELTHAM’S GROWTH HAS BEEN RAPID IN RECENT YEARS Unknown local paper c.1960s Recent years have seen a rapid change in the appearance of Eltham’s business centre - so rapid, in fact, that the growth of premises has been almost 300%. For more than thirty-five years Eltham had little more than a dozen traders - the town's business area spreading from Pryor Street in the north, to Pitt Street in the south. The greatest density of businesses - no more than a handful of shops - were situated in the present shopping centre but other essential services such as the Post Office, were located half a mile away. As the town's population grew and the need for more shops became apparent, the growth was centralised around the railway station and Shire hall. Few of the old premises are used for their original form of business today, though many are still in existence. One of the oldest (seen clearly in the illustration) still in use is now Ferrari's Greengrocery. This shop was Eltham's butchery in early days, conducted by Jim Ryan. Up to twenty years ago, Mr. Ryan ran his business from the shop. whilst his son toured Eltham in his horse and cart, cutting his customers' orders as he went from door to door. Another business - one of the few still trading in the same goods-was Burgoyne's Hardware. This is now owned by Mr. R. Clinton, a new shop has recently been added and shortly the old premises will disappear completely. The Burgoyne family were well known to Eltham's population. The Post Office and Store (then in Main Road, near Bridge Street) was run by Mr. and Mrs. Burgoyne. The Post Office was later moved, and attached to the hardware store. OLD HOTEL In this same area was the old Eltham Hotel, almost opposite the present hotel. The building still stands, but has been converted into a house. The hitching rail can still be seen by the roadside. Back in the township was Barber's Blue Gum store, later conducted by Mrs. Burges (mother of Garnet Burges) and claimed to be Eltham's oldest shop. Further down the road, just past the hardware store, was the barber shop and billiard saloon. Next door was E. J. Andrew's news agency, library and State Savings Bank. Eltham's original chemist's shop, or dispensary as it was called, is now an electrical repair shop. On this side of the street too, was Mrs. Monteith - Draper. Mr Monteith was the owner of Eltham' s bus service. This bus service had no regular route, but deposited passengers at the point nearest their homes - a. door to door taxi service. Next to Mrs. Monteith stood another grocery - and general store, and next again, the local blacksmith. Another of Butcher Ryan's sons was Eltham's blacksmith and obviously an enterprising man he conducted a timber business next door to his smithy's shop. These two premises are still run by one man - Garnet Burges. BOOM STARTS Twenty years ago, when Thompson's took over Eltham's pharmacy they occupied the old shop adjoining the Shire hall. The building of Thompson's new premises, from which· they operate today, was the beginning of Eltham's recent growth and development. With another grocery store and a bakery at the corner of York Street, a butcher near Franklin Street, a cobbler's shop opposite the State School (did you ever wonder what that-little building attached to one of Eltham's oldest houses had been?), and an estate agency conducted by Mr. Clark, now Eltham Real Estate - only one trader remained - and today, still carries on, the only original owner of one of Eltham's .oldest established businesses - Mr. Dave Lyon, of Lyon Bros. Garage, which was formerly located in what was later used as Chenowyth's Foundry in Main Road. From the early twenties until little more than six or seven years ago that was the picture of Eltham. Some businesses had changed hands - many years before Mr. C. Rains had acquired Andrew's news agency, Mrs. Monteith's drapery had become Mrs. R. Smith's home-made cake shop, to change again and again to many other types of business. But generally, Eltham was unchanged, for nearly thirty years. Then suddenly new shops mushroomed. The new news agency and drapery, the chemist and adjoining shops, a new butcher, a green grocer and several more. POPULATION DOUBLED In the space of a few years, fifteen new shops, two banks, a restaurant and a post office were built at Eltham. New types of businesses found a ready market in an area which was quickly almost doubling its population. A little over twelve months ago, another wave of progress hit Eltham. Since then eight more shops have been built - a cake shop and fish shop in Dalton [sic – Dudley] Street - for building areas are unprocurable in the Main Street shopping centre now – have been built by Mr. D. Kimball; a new ladies’ and children’s wear shop has been opened by Rains; Eltham Dry Cleaners have another of these new shops, and Mr. R. Clinton has built elaborate new premises. Further down the road, Mr. C. Campbell has built a new butcher's shop, and next door, at present under construction, are a self service store and a shop which Mr. J. Hodges will open on completion. In addition to these new shops, Mr. J. Millett has extended his grocery to almost twice its original size. FLOURISHING Outside the central area, other businesses are flourishing. Latimer's felt factory is being developed in a picturesque rustic setting; P. J. Timber and Trading Company have recently completed a large showroom and timber yard, and in the town itself Nicholson and Merritt are now completing the extension of their foot wear factory to double its former area. This is Eltham today. Progress is moving rapidly in this rural area on the fringe of the metropolis. Less than a decade has seen vast development. The years to complete that span of time will see even greater changes and greater prosperity in this heart: of the Diamond Valley. OLD LANDMARK GOES Perhaps the most famous landmark in Eltham's' business section disappeared last Wednesday when the towering blue gum in Pryor Street at the rear of Main Road shops was felled. The tree, stated to be more than 80 feet high, was the one for which the adjoining café was named, when that business was Eltham’s only provision store, long before the turn of the century. Mr. J. Millett, who now owns the property on which the tree stood, deeply regretted its removal, but was mindful of the need for expansion in the business area. The "Old Blue Gum" was removed by Mr. A. Wilson, expert tree feller, from Heidelberg. Its proportions might be assessed by these facts – it took a gang of experienced men two days to completely fell and clear the tree, and, falling sections being brought down by cable tipped electricity wires on the opposite side of Pryor Street.andrew's news agency, bakery, barber shop, barber's blue gum store, billiard saloon, blacksmith, blue gum, burgoyne's hardware, butcher, cake shop, chemist's shop, chenowyth's foundry, cobbler's shop, dave lyon, dispensary, draper shop. mr monteith, dudley street, e. j. andrew's news agency, electrical repair shop, eltham bus service, eltham butchery, eltham dry cleaners, eltham hotel, eltham railway station, eltham real estate, eltham shire hall, eltham shopping centre, eltham shops, eltham town centre, estate agency, expert tree feller, ferrari's greengrocery, fish shop, foot wear factory, franklin street, garnet burges, general store, grocery, heidelberg, horace clark, jim ryan, ladies’ and children’s wear shop, latimer's felt factory, library, lyon bros. garage, main road, mr. a. wilson, mr. c. campbell, mr. c. rains, mr. d. kimball, mr. j. hodges, mr. j. millett, mr. r. clinton, mrs. burges, mrs. monteith, mrs. monteith's drapery, mrs. r. smith's home-made cake shop, nicholson and merritt, p. j. timber and trading company, pitt street, post office, pryor street, self service store, shopping centre, state savings bank, taxi service, thompson's pharmacy, york street

Copied from a photo in the Port Melbourne collection (City of Port Phillip)Laser print of Miss Jago's corner grocery shop at Ingles and Heath Street, Port Melbourne (1933)business and traders - grocers and supermarkets, jago

Digital album in PDF format of Miss Nugent's shop, Corner Spring St East and Esplanade East Port Melbourne . Plus images of Nugent, Dowling, Maloney and Moloney families.business and traders, domestic life, mary moloney, jim moloney, ellie moloney, ellen dowling nugent, bridget nugent, leo bernard dowling, cath dowling, margaret nugent maloney, tot moloney, ellen hoogen dowling, leo robert dowling, jack moloney, rosa dowling, frank dowling, rob dowling, ellen (nell) dowling, rosa nugent

Black and white photo. Inside the corner shop at Farrell and Ross Streets. Alice BAKER serves two local lads. Charles and Alice BAKER opened their shop around 1933 although a shop had been at this site since 1900 as variously a butcher and pastry cook and general store. The shop passed into other hands around 1955. The photo was used in the PMHPS Calendar for 2007 (May)business and traders - milkbars, alice baker, charles baker, ross street, farrell street

Brought by Fred Nicholson from donor Veronica Aldridge Subsequently researched by Terry Keenan -- see People file for minformationLaminated A4 photo of 'Marlborough' secondhand shop 221 Bay Street, corner of Liardet Street.business and traders - secondhand dealers, marlborough, arnold walter

Donated by the granddaughter of William DALGLISH.Faded black and white photo of the William DALGLISH shop at the corner of Station and Ingles Streets. Signage shows "North Sandridge Tea and Coffee Mart" and also Kitchenware, Ironmongery and Tinware. The photo taken in 1874 shows several people at the doorway of the shop and two horsedrawn wagons.william dalglish, built environment - commercial, business and traders - general stores

This photo was taken by Victor Cattoni of Ingham in Queensland when he was in Melbourne on his honeymoon in 1953. The donor (his son) knew of no connection between his father and the Conlon family. Victor and his wife, Julia, travelled to Melbourne on the 'Mananda', which had been converted into a hospital ship in 1940. Victor was a motor mechanic and business man in Ingham and later a sugarcane farmer at nearby Abergowrie. Conlon's bread factory was located at 410-412 Canterbury Road on the corner of The Avenue. The site was purchased in 1927 by Michael Conlon and the factory built in 1928/1929. The original Conlon bakery was at 108 Union Road. This became to retail shop until the 1940s with the family involved in both the bakery and the shop. The photo is representative of the era when home deliveries by horse and cart were made by local traders including the baker, green grocer and dairy man. It also documents part of the history of a local business of longstanding.B&W photo of M F Conlon Surrey Bread Factory horse & cart at rest in a street in front of a picket fence.On the rear: "Photo by: / Victor Cattoni / Ingham, North Queensland / 1953" This is the same hand as that on the donation form, so it is presumed to have been added by Ed Cattoni prior to donation to SHHS. there are also photographic processing marks: "Ilford" stamped on the rear of the photographic paper and the number 71.victor cattoni, conlon's bread factory, 1953, canterbury road, factories, horse drawn deliveries, home deliveries