Kingsbury’s, 117 Foster Street, Dandenong, 1972.

Kingsbury Lane (to the left of the shop) is named after Kingsbury Plumbers and Tank Makers (est. 1856), who made tanks and windmills. Later they turned their business to bicycles. Kingsbury Bicycles were then located in Foster Street (still visible sign writing).

In 1929 Alex Kingsbury built an arcade of shops which ran through from Foster to Lonsdale Street possibly through the Cassels Garage. Kingsbury’s nephew Frank set up in one of the shops to run a bicycle and pram business. In 1932 Frank was joined by his brother Gilbert; both served in the air force during the second world war. Upon their return Frank opened his own business in Frankston leaving Gilbert to manage the Dandenong shop.

Kingsbury’s sold motorbikes, push bikes and baby craft including
prams and nursery furniture. The lane was under 2 feet of water in the 1934 flood. In 1962 a local newspaper advertisement boasts modern new showrooms, by the 1970's he still owned the building and was operating a baby supply shop in half of the building, renting the other half out.

By coincidence Richard Wolters chose the other side to run Progressive Motorcycle which he owned between 1971 and 1975, not knowing of the connection until one day someone dropped in and told Richard that it was a coincidence that he had chosen that shop.

Photo supplied by Richard Wolters
https://www.facebook.com/richard.wolters.140

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