Neighbourhood shops: Bungaree Rd Toongabbie, The Six Shops

A butchery that’s thrived since the ‘60s, a newsagent who’s always ready to listen and a talented hairdresser who traded the Gold Coast to return to his community. Enjoy the eighth instalment of Corner Store Heroes.

Corner shops are an Aussie institution and tradition is still kicking on at Toongabbie’s Bungaree Rd shopping centre, aka The Six Shops. Just ask the butcher and milk bar traders.

“Toongabbie’s a potato suburb — they’ll eat chips and scallops,’’ Leo’s Takeaway owner William Ewen said.

That’s lucky the Scotsman, who migrated Down Under in 1988, runs a milk bar where fish and chips, bacon and egg rolls and hamburgers are his bread and butter.

The menu has rarely changed since he bought the shop 10 years ago or even when it opened three decades ago.

He and wife Yuke, who used to run eateries in Chinatown, decided to plunge the chips into the deep fryer when stopping work just didn’t agree with Ewen, who is now 64.

“To be honest I was just bored being retired,’’ he said.

William and Yuke Ewen keep traditional tucker alive at Leo’s Takeaway.

Hailing from a country that’s no stranger to hot oil, Ewen is seasoned behind the counter.

“In Scotland, they fry everything from bread to bloody Mars Bars,’’ he said.

With plans to retire to the south coast next year, the endangered milk bar’s days could be numbered.

“I just find that the big businesses are encroaching in our footsteps every year,’’ he said.

“We used to roast 10 to 20 chickens a day.’’

Now the rotisserie has been consigned to the history books as the humble Leo’s struggles to compete with the nearby IGA and Woolies.

“It’s not a level playing field,’’ Ewen said.

Still, there is some consolation. “I find a lot of the locals like the small shops — it keeps us in business,’’ he said.

Alex Fonti, who started his apprenticeship at Bungaree Butchery 18 years ago and recently bought the business from Steve Carlaw, knows shoppers aren’t huge on change at his shop, which has been the backbone of the Six Shops since it opened in 1964.

“What you see here is pretty much the same thing as when I started,’’ Fonti said.

“Everyone’s just set in their ways.

“It takes certain customers to warm to new butchers working here.’’

Fellow Toongabbie boy “Twistie”, who has racked up three decades of service, agrees.

“I’d say in the 30 years I’ve been connected to this shop, there’s a lot of people who come here and only want to get served by Steve. They like the way he cuts his meat.’’

Fonti bought the business from Carlaw after he retired this year after 37 years.

Fonti started as a “wash-up boy” before becoming an apprentice when he left Pendle Hill High School after he refused to make a speech.

Aside from serving quality meat, he likes “the fact that we can look outside’’.

Twistie quips: “The new owner is a daydreamer.’’

Steve Carlaw retired this year. Picture: Monique Harmer

Each Wednesday, the butchery, which includes fresh-faced apprentice Connor Olsen, prepares $2000 worth of meat trays for Pendle Inn Hotel’s raffles.

At Cut N Blowdry, hairdresser Jordan Jbarat traded the holiday-mode of the Gold Coast for a workplace closer to his Seven Hills home.

“I moved to Queensland for a year and my family still stayed here,’’ he said.

“My mum really wanted me to come back to Sydney and saw this shop was for lease and said ‘Why don’t you come back here?’

He admitted that starting a business, where the former pharmacy operated, was tough but now the team, including Jbarat’s mum Suzan, brother James, Jessica Li and Melissa Long have won over many customers who trust them with their tresses.

Cut N Blowdry hairdresser Jordan Jbarat in his salon.

While hairdressers are known as soundboards, the post office and newsagent owner Chaya Zana finds her customers also love a chat.

“Sometimes they come only to talk,’’ she said.

“Especially in this area, I find many old people come to share their issues, their happiness. They don’t want to talk to a machine anymore. They can go to a big post office but they want to shop in a small business.

“This is a small area but it’s alive.’’

Toongabbie post office and newsagent owner Chaya Zana lends her ears to the community.

The Welcome Mart grocery shop is a slice of nostalgia, where the iridescent confectionary forms a rainbow below the counter and, despite the availability of chain supermarkets, locals opt to get their essentials and treats for convenience.

The Super Cellars bottle shop has also drawn many customers at the shopping centre, which was upgraded as part of Parramatta Council’s Better Neighbourhood Program last year.