Location: Azar’s General Store

Story

When he applied for naturalization in 1907, Selim Azar had worked as a hawker for ten of his eleven years in Queensland. However, he followed the common occupational pathway of many of the early Syrian/Lebanese immigrants, when, after he married Regina Lutvey in 1906, they bought a store at 77 Grey Street, South Brisbane which they ran for at least 25 years. As with many of these Syrian/Lebanese businesses, theirs was a family enterprise. As Carmel King noted, for a time, Selim and Regina:

…had a shop at Beenleigh, and also one at Stone’s Corner, but these were closed down. They kept the shop in Grey Street, and also opened one in Rathdowney near Beaudesert. The two girls and Joe helped in the shop during their school years. Joe used to drive from Brisbane to Rathdowney to help in the shop there.

Perhaps due to the worldwide economic depression, the Azar’s business faltered and in July 1930 Selim was declared bankrupt. Yet, despite such difficulties, Selim and Regina did well enough as small business operators to own a home and raise their family of four.

References

Carmel King, A New Beginning, Brisbane: Author, 1994, p. 86.
NAA: A659, 1943/1/6000, Azar Salim – Naturalisation.
Queensland Post Office Directories to 1949

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