Thornbury cafe offered up for first time since 1974

A Thornbury address known for its tasty treats has been served up for sale for the first time in 44 years. 

Popular French eatery, Le Cafe Flo, operates at the street front, and an Indian-influenced ice cream manufacturer works from the rear.

The shopfront at 709 High St, has been owned by the Tacconelli family since the 1970s.

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They’ve also used the store as a milk bar, Italian deli and European cafe over the decades.

Store owner Tony Tacconelli says his parents’ Italian deli offered some of the first glimpses into the European culture for Australians during the 1970s.

The building is in the heart of Thornbury.

Inside Le Cafe Flo in Thornbury.

“When they bought the business they transformed it into a continental delicatessen to cater for their heritage and culture,” he says.

“Familiar foods were hard to come by, so Italians came from far and wide to get it. Australian clients also came to accept and cherish the products too.”

Tacconelli’s brother later ran his own cafe from the store, and the family made wholesale cakes and baked items in the kitchen at the rear.

The owners once ran a popular Italian deli from the store.

An Indian-influenced ice cream manufacturer works at the rear.

Le Cafe Flo has occupied the building for five years, and its business owner Florian has become a local identity.

Fitzroys agent Chris James says the cafe is ‘iconic’ in the High St precinct.

“It’s right in the heart of the street and it has got a beautiful character and a strong identity on the strip,” he says.

It is expected to sell for more than $1 million.

He says the opportunity for two commercial leases in the one building has appealed to investors during the campaign.

It is expected the building will sell for above $1 million, he adds.

Le cafe Flo and the ice-cream manufacturers have a five and two-year tenancy agreement respectively, paying a combined $51,585.

A storage facility at the rear.

Buyers have identified it as an up-and-coming area, and not a lot becomes available in the prime area of the street,” Jones says.

Tacconelli says he can’t believe the transformation Thornbury has undergone in the past 50 years.

“I remember a time where two or three cafes where here, and they struggled to run profitably,” he says.

“Now there are countless amounts of cafes and they are always full.”

The store is scheduled for auction on November 30.

This article from Leader Newspapers originally appeared as “Renowned Thornbury shopfront served up for first time in 44 years”.