Milk Bars and Miniatures

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Sent to me by my daughter, Acacia: 

That circle on the right is a coin to show scale.

Readers who know the Inner West will no doubt be familiar with the Olympia Milk Bar, which remains on Parramatta Road at Stanmore next to where the Stanmore Cinema used to be. The Council shut down the business last year because of safety concerns and upgrading requirements but owner Nicholas Fotiou, who is in his 80’s, declined offers of community and public assistance. He also ceased living upstairs because it became too rickety, sleeping in a chair behind the milk bar counter instead. 

By 1937 there were 4000 milk bars across Australia, with the Olympia now the oldest one still standing. The 1912 building was converted into a milk bar in 1939, at the height of their popularity. 

Source: 

https://www.commercialrealestate.com.au/news/owner-of-olympia-milk-bar-in-sydneys-inner-west-inundated-with-offers-to-help-reopen-it/urce: 

Some pics of the Olympia: 

Artwork by Emma Jane www.emmajaneillustration.com

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Some more Joshua Smith miniatures: