LINGER, BROWSE, AND BUY

CANBERRA COFFEE CENTRE

Good coffee is one of life’s great pleasures, and in the early 1960s Canberra finally got to experience it. The Canberra Coffee Centre opened in Garema Arcade in 1962, run by Yugoslavian couple Jakov and Danijela Pavic. It was Canberra’s first coffee-roasting and blending shop and, boasting 13 varieties, it introduced Canberrans to different flavours and aromas of coffee. 

The Pavics opened the business largely to provide European migrants with the coffee they were used to ‘back home’. Their customer base grew quickly as locals discovered the shop and its goods, which expanded to include European delicatessen items and a wide range of imported wines and liquors. Its popularity was bolstered by the fact Mrs Pavic spoke five languages – Italian, Serbo-Croatian, German, Slovenian and English.

The Canberra Coffee Centre was one of many migrant businesses that began opening in the city in the 1950s and ‘60s, bringing a small piece of the wider world to the capital. Today Canberrans are spoilt for choice with an array of cafe options, and they have people like the Pavics and their passion for good coffee to thank for it.

SYLVIA PARSONS FASHION SALON

For unique or special items of clothing, generations of Canberrans visited the Sylvia Parsons of Canberra Fashion Salon, located on Kennedy Street in Kingston. Opened in 1948, the shop provided a design and dressmaking service – one of the first to offer individual, high quality pieces of women’s wear – and also sold clothes off the rack. The Kingston store traded from 1948 to 1996, with several other Sylvia Parsons stores operating around the city at various times, including Manuka (1950–1955), Civic (1955–1963) and Woden (1972–1990).

The success of her stores reflected the increasing prosperity of the city and the income available to many of its citizens. Her shops featured prominently in many women’s lives and Parsons maintained a regular and loyal clientele over nearly half a century. 

Her establishments were known for the quality of their products and personal service. Parsons’ good business sense, warm personality, and involvement in local charitable events such as ‘Gown of the Year’ made her an early Canberra identity.

GANTER’S FABRIC SALON

Harold and Elsie Ganter moved to Canberra in 1941 when Harold became the Manager of JB Young’s Kingston store. His strong business acumen and sociability were at the fore when he employed an interpreter to serve Canberra’s growing number of post-war migrants.

Elsie had been a buyer for Kirby’s fabric store in Rockhampton and in 1958 she and Harold opened their own ‘fabric salon’ in Kennedy Street, Kingston. The following year they moved two doors up and remained in business there for the next fifty-two years. Their business prospered and sons Harold Jnr and David entered the family company, opening stores in the new Monaro Mall (1963) and Woden Plaza (1972).

Ganter’s was synonymous with quality fabric, personal service, and expert advice. In an era when many people were making their own clothes, Ganter’s was the place to go.

This long-running Canberra business closed its doors in June 2011, still ringing up sales on the 1958 cash register and wrapping purchases in paper tied with string.

IMPACT RECORDS

The big bands may not come to Canberra, but from 1975 to 2004 the city had something better – Impact Records. For 29 years it was the main independent source of products and information for music lovers, stocking hard-to-find albums and international imports, and allowing customers to order any type of music, comic book or poster from around the world whether it was currently ‘popular’ or not.

The store’s reputation extended past the ACT border, with enthusiasts making pilgrimages to the capital to spend their weekly pay cheque. ‘I remember travelling down to Canberra many times from 1985 onwards – just to go to Impact Records. That’s how good it was,’ recalls one such fan.

The shop itself became a feature of Canberra, providing a meeting place for young people, music lovers and comic book fans.

However, as the large multinational chains arrived in the city, the smaller, independently owned operators were forced out. Impact Records closed its doors in 2004 and music lovers say the city hasn’t been the same since.

FLETCHER JONES

For over 50 years, fashion retailer Fletcher Jones could be found on a prominent corner of the Sydney Building. The store’s signage and suits were seen by thousands of people a day, and its products bought by generations of Canberrans. At the store’s peak in the 1970s, a staff member recalled: ‘Eager customers queued at the door before opening hours and 17 sales staff flurried about the floor dealing with the Saturday morning rush.’

The expensive clothes gave an air of sophistication to the Sydney Building corner, and the longevity of the store was a mainstay in a rapidly changing city. But changing fashions and cheap imports saw the shop doors close for the last time in 2011, when the Fletcher Jones company went into receivership.

In some ways the demise of the store mirrored that of the Sydney Building – many of its shopfronts are now vacant and the building’s façade shows peeling paint and damage. The shop, like the building, belonged to a time before huge malls and online shopping, when quality took precedence over quantity. But just as Fletcher Jones pieces now fetch a premium in vintage stores, so too might the Sydney Building find its glory again.   

O’BRIEN’S HAIRDRESSING AND SPORTS STORE

When Mr Harold (Mick) O'Brien opened his barber's shop at Manuka in 1934, a haircut and shave cost two shillings. Together with his wife Mattie, they built up a prosperous hairdressing business. Customers in his chair ranged from Prime Ministers Ben Chifley and John Curtin, to Ambassadors, tradies and school kids.

Gradually the store expanded to include a range of sporting goods and miscellaneous items as it tried to attract a broader range of customers. For a time, you could purchase anything from a man's haircut through to trout-fishing accessories, Zippo lighters, pipes, hair tonics and a $1.50 watch strap. As an independent business it had the opportunity to change and try new things. O'Brien's gradually refined the store back to their specialty – hairdressing – and reduced the sporting stock to specialise in fishing gear, which was Mick’s passion.

An original of Manuka and in business for 64 years, the store was a place to meet, chat, and come out looking better than when you went in. It finally closed in 1998.

CHRISTIS HAIR SALON

In the early days of Christis barber shop and hair salon in Garema Arcade it was all about Brylcreem, short back-and-sides, and good, no-nonsense service.

Christodoulos Christis and his two brothers purchased the shop in 1970. It was the perfect location for customers to pop in for a quick cut and a chat on their lunchbreak and was one of many successful migrant businesses to open in the arcade.  

As Bunda Street changed and evolved, the store seemed to stay the same – the same sign, location, interior and of course, service. It wasn’t fancy, or hip, but it was good, with loyal customers returning to the store for over 40 years, pulled in by the familiar comfort of knowing what you’d get, and at a fair price too.

In 2013 Christodoulos handed the store over to his daughter, who expanded into hairdressing for Canberra’s growing Korean community. Christodoulos still worked part-time in the shop, but, after 50 years of service and, with the building slated for demolition in 2020, Christis hung up the scissors for good.