Historical information

In the photograph a young Nakis Raftopoulos is arranging the fruit display in his father's (Spiro Raftopoulos) shop which was at 250 Johnson Street in Abbotsford.

Significance

Many Ithacan Greeks who settled in Melbourne opened businesses as it was difficult for non-British immigrants to secure employment in the early years when Ithacans first started arrive. The business were mostly associated with food vending, either cafes, restaurants, oyster bars and sea food shops, or fruit shops, stalls or barrows. They ventured into the food vending business because it was an area the had skills in. Also some of these business didn't require enormous initial capital outlay and provided a springboard for entrepreneurial Ithacans to progress to larger scale businesses. The ownership of businesses by Ithacans assisted the development of chain migration with Ithacan business owners providing employment to relatives who wished to emigrate to Melbourne.

Physical description

A black and white photograph of a young man in a fruit shop. he is arranging apples in a display behind a counter. The photograph has been reproduced and is mounted on board.