1940s former repair shop hits the market in Pascoe Vale for $1.05m-$1.15m

A 1940s electrical repair shop-turned-residential property has hit the market in Pascoe Vale for $1.05 million to $1.15 million.

Amy Johannsohn and David Reid bought the old shop almost two decades ago, and with the property came a treasure trove of vintage electrical devices, from old televisions and power points to switches and antennas.

“He was a real Doc Brown from Back to the Future-type fellow, there were a whole bunch of weird contraptions here,” Reid says of the former owner.

While the couple cleared out most of those “contraptions”, they kept some of their favourite finds: an original His Master’s Voice sign, featuring the iconic image of a dog peering into a gramophone, still hangs above the front door.

The couple had also unwittingly inherited the goodwill of his local clientele. “It took a couple of years for the TVs to stop just appearing at our front door,” Johannsohn says.

The couple have since transformed the commercial premises into an inner-city sanctuary – adding a bedroom, en suite, study and laundry to the original floor plan’s bedroom, bathroom and kitchen.

A spacious 8.9-metre-long front room offers both lifestyle and income potential.

The renovations were a gradual process. “We were young and silly, so we were doing things like laying about three sheets of tile per weekend, and then going home,” Johannsohn says.

They were soon “living rough for a few years, amongst the dust” as the place was fully rewired and replumbed.

Seventies timber cladding was stripped back to expose the original brickwork; the back extension now features polished concrete, and stacker doors were added to maximise light and garden views.

Reid works for the peak horticultural organisation, Nursery and Garden Industry Victoria, and has created a green haven featuring many rare and unusual plant species.

“It’s going to be hard to see them go,” Reid says of the clematis vine, the president, and the lemonlime spire gingko tree.

Flowering natives have also attracted plenty of bird life. “We’re quite close to Westbreen Creek, so we get a lot of borrowed bird life that comes up from there, which is really lovely.”

161 Cumberland Road, Pascoe Vale, is listed with Maulik Patel of Jellis Craig, Brunswick. Expressions of interest close on Thursday, November 27.

Expressions of Interest: $1,050,000 - $1,150,000

161 Cumberland Road, Pascoe Vale VIC 3044

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