Grandad's Shop, 189 Ourimbah Road

Photographer
T.O.Booth
Streets
Time
1970

This is the shop of of my grandparents, Arthur & Emile Booth (Lower) and the adjacent shops with beauty salon near the BP service station.

Purchased in 1960 and closed in 1971 after the clearways imposed in Ourimbah Rd, fairly much ruined the business.

My father, T.O. Booth also worked here with his brother Arthur D Booth Jr.

I have some very early memories looking up at the counter and seeing the milk shake mixers.

That’s dad’s Holden parked out the front.

A.Booth · 18 May 2011

Your comment

I remember your Grandad's shop, Andrew. I used to have a part-time job in the BP Service Station next door, which was owned by John and Marguerite Budden. I was there for most of the 1970s.

I worked Thursday nights and weekends, as I was studying at Sydney University. I still recall some of our regular patrons, not all by name. Those were the days when we would walk out to each car as it pulled up, then putting in the petrol, cleaning the windscreen, checking oil and tyres... those were the days. I was even given the job of Saturday morning grease and oil changes. My qualifications? I was interested in cars, and worked on my own cars.

— John Hammond · 24 May 2011, 08:55 · #

Interesting. I grew up in 50 Ourimbah Rd. We used to buy our petrol at the BP (Saunders & English – or the other way around) but shopped in the shops at Ourimbah Rd & Rosebery St, just a short walk from our place.

— David Healy · 9 June 2011, 09:32 · #

I clearly remember these shops..living in Countess Street 1966-74.We didn’t buy petrol….coz we didn’t have a car…but I remember the servo and the great milk bar/fruit n veg.
There was many a Paddle Pop run with my darling uncle ( who had a car) in the evening to that shop ;)

— Cathy Sutton · 2 September 2013, 17:41 · #

I remember these shops too lived in Ourimbah Rd 4 twenty years

— warwick kings · 5 April 2014, 19:01 · #