Mascot’s Italian Fruit Shops

Do you recall the Antico’s of Mascot? Everyone seems to remember them but unfortunately we don’t have any photographs of their fruit shop. Luckily you can get an idea of their business by visiting our current exhibition – Sydney’s Italian Fruit Shops. The exhibition was created by Co.As.It and features a vast array of photos, stories and objects about these special shops.

Courtesy of Google Maps

During our preparations for the exhibition, local resident Maria Conte contacted the museum about the fruit shop her family ran at 1223 Botany Road, Mascot in the 1950s. Today the shop is Mascot Corner Café.

Courtesy of Maria Conte

Courtesy of Maria Conte

As the family both lived and worked on the premises, Maria and her siblings had many shop related chores. This ranged from unpacking crates to watching the store while their mother cooked dinner at the back.

Maria generally has many fond memories of the shop. However some early evening customers, fresh from a few drinks at Tennyson Hotel, did scare her with their rowdy behaviour.

To learn more about the Conte’s and other Italian Fruit Shops in Sydney make sure you visit the exhibition. It closes on June 7th!