Facelift and new tenant for Melbourne’s oldest shop

MELBOURNE’S oldest surviving shop, located at a prime CBD address, is set for a new tenant and a makeover.

Melbourne's oldest buildings: Crossley Building / Job Warehouse at 54-62 Bourke St, City

MELBOURNE’S oldest surviving shop, located at a prime CBD address, is set for a new tenant and a makeover.

Known as Job Warehouse, the building near the top of Bourke St dates to the 1840s and is considered a key link to pre-Gold Rush Melbourne.

But the historic site has been rundown for years and will need a major upgrade to regain its former glory.

Originally a butcher’s shop and slaughter yard, Job Warehouse was bought after World War II by Polish refugee Jacob Zeimer, who opened a fabric shop there.

Mr Zeimer, who died aged 91 in 2005, was famously known for his crankiness and would sometimes throw out people who were browsing but not buying.

His son, David, closed the business two years ago and is now seeking tenants for the space, with a bookshop and a cafe currently operating in other parts of the building.

Leasing agent Benjamin Klein, from Gross Wadell, said yesterday that frontrunners to rent the property were a high-end restaurant and fashion ­retailer.

“In terms of location it doesn’t get much better than that; Bourke St Melbourne, top end,” he said.

“It’s a beautiful building in an unbelievable location, but it needs a bit of love.”

Mr Klein said that city council and heritage authorities would help supervise the restoration in consultation with the new tenant.

“We have to make sure that the facade is kept, internally some of the walls and some of the flooring has to be maintained,” he said.

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