Manufacturer: W.H. Grindley
User: Repin's Coffee Inn
Distributor: Gibsons & Patterson, Ltd., Sydney, Australia
Date of example: 1930 – 1950s
Notes: In 1930, Ivan Repin opened his first coffee house — Repin's Coffee Inn — at 152 King Street, Sydney, Australia. Repin's Coffee Inns were Art-Deco style cafes, which pioneered the sale of coffee in Australia and became well-known Sydney landmarks with fast service and excellent coffee. Repin's pioneered the way for the Italian espresso bars that became popular after World War II.
After Ivan Repin died in 1949, the Repin's family began to close their coffee house businesses down starting in 1966 — attributing the closure to higher rental costs, increased competition, the move of retailing to the suburbs and individual family interests lying outside the coffee industry.
Click here for more information about Repin's and for a 1955 Repin's menu.