Crown Corner Cafe staff in 1936 (L to R) Bobbie Nye (Pearce), Ivy Alice Miles (Parker), Muriel Loughrey (Burt) and Rita Clout (Morgan). Photo: Museum of the Riverina.
This week, the team from the Museum of the Riverina take us back to 8 March, 1936 and the Crown Corner Cafe which stood on the corner of Fitzmaurice and Kincaid Streets.
The Crown Corner Cafe was the result of one of a number of borough improvements carried out by enterprising Wagga businesspeople who increased their premises to comply with the demand of the growing town in 1912.
In The Daily Advertiser of Saturday 23 November, 1912, it is revealed that Samuel Picone announced that to cope successfully with the demands of a rapidly increasing business, he had taken larger premises, being fortunate enough to secure the lease of the centrally situated building vacated by tailor E. Basha.
Samuel intended to set up handsome tearooms fitted up to cater for a first-class and extensive business. With a view to extending his business, Samuel paid several visits to Sydney for the purpose of selecting soda fountains and other fittings. He began the refurbishment of the building in the last week of November, creating the Crown Corner Cafe.
The paper described it as being: “A full stock of fruits, dainty confectionary, green groceries, tobacco, cigars, etc. will be stocked. Fresh supplies of pastry will arrive from Sydney each morning and a fountain will be installed to supply the most enticing iced summer drinks …”.
Samuel had emigrated to Australia as a young boy with his parents.
Along with his brother Robert, he enlisted in the Italian Regiment raised for service in Italy during World War I.
In 1919 he married an Italian girl and he returned to Wagga with his wife in 1920 and resumed his business.
He greatly improved the Crown Corner Cafe in 1928 when he constructed artistic show windows and remodelled the interior.
Image and information supplied by Michelle Maddison, Museum of the Riverina.
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