Sydney’s oldest family-owned grocer changes hands today after 90 years

Inner-west instauration Galluzzo Fruiters successful Glebe has been sold, ending 90 years of ownership by 4 generations of 1 family.

Owner Damian Galluzzo believes his grocer is Sydney’s oldest. When his grandfather, Salvatore Galluzzo, opened the store astatine its existent tract astatine Glebe Point Road successful 1934, the Great Depression was gripping Sydney. Salvatorre handed the reins to lad Frank Galluzzo and his woman Melina, past their sons Damian and his member Joe took power much than 30 years ago.

Joseph Galluzzo aged 46, proprietor of Galluzzo’s Fruit Market connected Glebe Point Road, Glebe. Kate Geraghty

Damian and Joe some person children who enactment successful the shop, but accidental they don’t privation to enactment the load of moving it connected them.

“Joe and I were getting tired, sometimes moving 16 to 18 hours a day. Then our oldest member passed distant past year, and we wondered however overmuch longer we could bash this,” Damian Galluzzo says.

Galluzzo Deli, adjacent doorway to the effect shop, successful Glebe.Edwina Pickles

The concern has not lone survived 90 years but it has expanded arsenic well, adding a neighbouring deli successful 2014. The brothers enactment their occurrence down to being focussed connected quality.

“You’ve got to sensation the fruit. And it is besides however good you dainty your customers,” Galluzzo says.

The brothers were looking for caller operators who would uphold those values, and accidental they person recovered that successful different acceptable of brothers, Joshua and Daniel Flamminio, who person supplied effect and vegetables to immoderate of Sydney’s apical chefs, including Neil Perry and Quay’s Peter Gilmore, and volition support operating the store arsenic it is.

“You’ve got to sensation the fruit. And it is besides however good you dainty your customers.”

Galluzzo marvels that contempt each the changes successful the satellite implicit the past 90 years, his regular enactment is astir precisely similar his grandfather’s, particularly the 2am trips to the market, though these days it is Flemington not the Paddy’s Market tract wherever Salvatore trudged.

But determination person been galore changes astir him. When the grocer opened successful 1934, Glebe had 24 effect shops. Today, Glebe Point Road has conscionable two. The accomplishment of the buying centre astatine Broadway didn’t termination the business, nor did the closure of the adjacent Valhalla Cinema, which Damian Galluzzo says took much of a toll connected section cafes. Galluzzo’s bugbear is parking meters, which person wounded section tiny businesses.

Joe Galluzzo successful beforehand of Galluzzo’s successful 1989.Jack Atley

Damian and Joe are the youngest of 7 siblings who grew up supra the shop. They each started serving customers from astir the property of 11 onwards aft school, astatine the extremity of which you either studied, oregon joined the shop. His siblings followed pharmacy and dentistry, there’s besides a barrister. Damian was accepted into mechanical engineering and had dreams of designing cars, but decided helium didn’t privation to determination distant to survey and joined the store consecutive retired of school.

He volition assistance the caller owners for the adjacent six months. And portion determination are nary regrets astir falling truthful adjacent to chalking up a period of household ownership, he’ll soon get utilized to sleeping successful a small later. But helium volition miss his play telephone bid from the shop’s oldest customer. “Norma (Hawkins) is 101, she phones maine each Friday betwixt 5-6pm.”