Old Man Drew
About Us
Background
Creating this space has been a labour of love. Both challenging and rewarding, we have taken a building that has stood since 1868 and given it a new lease on life, without destroying its innate beauty.
This building has been many things. It started life as Twinem’s grocery store in the 1860’s, servicing the needs of miners en route to the gold fields. The general store was known affectionately to the locals as the Beehive Store. In keeping with this tradition, we are stocking a range of specialty fine foods for you to take home and enjoy. Later, the site became Pittorino’s Wine Bar and then Penfolds Wines after that. The historic cellar remains, but sadly all the grange is gone. The building then became a hardware store, supplying locals with timber and an array of supplies.
It was in 1968 that our family, the Drews of Ascot Vale, purchased the property and continued to run Vic Drew Used Trucks, established in 1957, which is still in operation today. Victor, a World War I veteran worked tirelessly to build a thriving truck parts business. His son Bill was always by his side and continued the tradition until his last days. When Bill passed away we became the custodians of this place. Throughout the renovations, we have been overwhelmed by the support from the local community and we thank the good people of Ascot Vale for their help and kind words.
Today the building is a café and fine food merchant. Here we hope to add to the ever-evolving story of this place. Rich in history yet fully revamped, we welcome you to Old Man Drew.
Victor Harrold Drew was the patriarch of this family and the original owner of this building. After returning from World War I, he vowed to live life to the fullest and enjoy every minute. A hard day’s work was followed by a delicious family meal, and a drink or two.