Where Was Your Local Corner Shop or Deli?

If you’re a baby boomer who grew up in an Australian city or country town,  just the mere mention of the words ‘local corner shop’ or ‘corner deli’ will instantly bring back a flood of wonderful memories!

There was a local shop (in some states referred to as the corner deli) on almost every second corner in every suburb and they stocked everything from milk and bread to shoe polish and sewing needles. This little shop was the beating heart of many communities, as well as a source of local gossip and an income for the families who ran them.

In the 1950s and 1960s we were a less mobile community and most of the shopping was done close to home. There was a local butcher shop with sawdust on the floor and a kindly butcher who always had a slice of devon (or fritz) for all the kids who might be out shopping with mum. There was the local hardware store, a hairdresser and greengrocer and most other perishables were delivered daily by the milkman, baker and iceman.

But the corner shop was where you could find most of the essentials of daily living and ‘extra’ grocery items and they continued to play a role as an important fixture in our communities until the mid 60s.

Many little shops were built onto the front of a premises, which also acted as the family home, and as they lived on site, the owners and their families would stay open until 9pm during the week and all weekend, even after church on Sunday.

Corner shops were magical places full of strange aromas and wonderful surprises! Cheeses came in wheels and were cut by slicing with a cheese wire. Fresh ham came on the bone and was sliced by a meat saw. Most of the fresh produce was sold in small quantities, as needed. Sugar and flour came in sacks and was carefully measured out into brown paper bags. Fresh milk came in bottles and cream was ladelled out from a milk urn into your own bottle or container, which you took to the shop.

You could also buy tuppence worth of lollies, choosing from the range behind the faded glass display case, which included conversation lollies, red and green umbrella toffees on a stick, liquorice blocks or a packet of sherbet fizz. There was Peters ice cream in either single or double scoop cones, or a square raspberry ice block in a square cone (they were also tuppence).

Many corner shops also had a jukebox installed and served ice cold milk shakes and became a regular hangout for teenagers after school or work.

The motor car and the spread of the supermarket chains saw the gradual demise of the little corner shop. Many continued to trade on into the 70s and even the 80s but with the arrival of the big suburban shopping malls, the final nail was hammered into the coffin.

Driving around our suburbs and towns today, there are still reminders of the days when the corner shops reigned supreme. They are mostly boarded up now, some are still used as family homes, but they stand as a reminder to a fascinating part of our lives, growing up in what I believe was a very special era.

The local corner shop is a special part of our childhood memories and an important part of our history as a community.

If you love nostalgia join me on a trip down memory lane with a copy of my best-selling book Australia Remember When. Almost 250 pages, crammed with photos, memories and stories of growing up in the baby boomer years from the 40s to the 80s and beyond. Join me as we celebrate growing up in what was a very different era, when kids roamed free, parents and teachers were obeyed, discipline was an accepted part of life and the world seemed a simpler place. RRP of the book is $34.99 (plus postage) and can be purchased from Shopify, just to the right of this story.