IT was an historic day when Almos store at 5 John Street closed on October 8.
It had been a well known part of the Rosewood streetscape for more than 70 years, when it was run by two generations of the Mogensen family.
And it represented a much longer placemarker – until that day, for 136 years, a descendent of original businessman, John Evans, had operated a business in the town.
William (known as Almo) and Mary Mogensen’s daughter, Coral, said the history of the store began when Almo was holidaying with his sister, Tilly Quinlivan, and her coal miner husband, Jack. It was then that he met Rosewood local, Phedora Mary Evans, who was known as Mary.
“Almo apprenticed to a cobbler after leaving school and he had learnt the complex boot making skills of hand sewing welted soled shoes, inverting and resoling dance pumps and was running his own business at 7 John Street in Rosewood,” Coral said.
“Almo and Mary were married in 1949 and purchased a home in Madden Lane Rosewood.
“The home had a large garage where Almo built a photographic dark room where as a couple they worked on their emerging photographic business.
“Professional photographs were taken by Almo and Mary trimmed each photo with a guillotine to make it square with the border and she sorted the orders against their negatives.
“At Almos suggestion, Mary went to Brisbane for classes in hand colouring sepia toned photos, so they could offer that service before colour film became readily available.”
Meanwhile, they also operated the shoe store at 7 John Street.
“White shoes were a big seller as children had them for sports and coal miners wore them to work,” Coral said.
“The miners would buy a new pair for 75 cents every three or four weeks.”
In August 1956, Almos store had a new address.
“Almo and Mary were able to negotiate a swap of their Madden Lane house within the purchase price of a building at 5 John Street,” Coral said.
“It had been run as a cafe, with a house in the back of the building.
“They moved their family of three girls first, before turning the cafe into a shoe shop and Almo worked day and night altering the shop to suit the business.
“He worked hard shifting footwear stock, boot repairing sewing machines, shoe lasts, awls, sheets of leather, waxed thread, curved needles, and other tools of his trade and he also moved his photographic gear into a shed at the back of the property.
“The shed became known as, Almo’s Studio and over the years, numerous wedding groups and ball patrons had their photos taken and processed by Almo the Cameraman and Mary brought them to life by hand colouring them.”
But sales of the sandshoes, those white shoes the miners wore, declined.
“Almo’s stock gradually diversified necessitated by the drop in sandshoe sales to the dwindling numbers of miners and the prolonged droughts which resulted in farmers not buying new work or rubber boots,” Coral said.
“A variety of cameras and film stock was available and Almo started a camera club and a drop off service for films that would be sent to Kodak for processing.
“Almo also took on bicycle repairs and because he was a keen cyclist, he started selling bicycles.
“The bicycles would arrive in parts on the train and Almo would happily assemble them for customers.
“Over the next 25 years, Almo’s store also sold balsa wood, model plane sets, chemistry sets, fireworks, model cars, toys, schoolbooks, garden seeds and a wide range of work, sport, and fashion shoes.”
In 1958, Almo and Mary’s son, Will, was born.
“Like his sisters, he helped in the shop and rode his bike delivering monthly accounts to the homes of customers,” Coral continues.
“However, Will showed more interest than the girls in the business and he helped his parents with the Rosewood store and a second one they opened in Amberley.
“In 1980 the Amberley Store was closed and Almo set off on a round Australia trip with his nephew, while his son Will and wife Mary ran the Rosewood business.
“Tragically, Almo died as the result of a car accident on that trip.”
Will took over the business and Mary continued to help serve even when she moved out of the house at the back.
In 1985, Will and his partner Elizabeth purchased the building.
“Over the past 42 years, Will and Elizabeth have focused their business on selling shoes and clothing,” Coral continues.
“Will did not have the interest in photography or skills in shoe or bicycle repairs that his father had but he was an enthusiastic businessman, and he knew his shoes, so he concentrated on that side of the business.
“He enjoyed long chats with his customers or anyone else who called into the shop and because he was in Christian ministry for years, Will often joked he was into, soles and souls as many of his chats turned into spiritual discussions or planning for one of the many funerals he took for Rosewood locals.
“Will maintained and extended the networks in the footwear industry that his parents had made and so Almos continued to operate for 74 years serving the people of Rosewood and shoe lovers from afar.”
The closure of the shop coincided with a difficult time for the Mogensen family.
“Not only because of the sale of the business and their childhood home, but it also came at the time of Mary Mogensen’ s death on September 9, 2022 at the age of 100 years and 9 months following a fall,” Coral said.
“Mary knew that Will and Elizabeth would have to sell the shop and every opportunity she had in between Covid lockdowns, she would like to visit and check on the newly arrived stock and ask how business was going.
“Perhaps the sign Will had in his shop that read ‘Cinderella is proof shoes can change your life’, is true as Mary had grown up on a dairy farm at Pinegrove in Tallegalla, but she had business in her blood.
“Her grandfather, Joseph William Evans, who had farming interests in the district was also a chemist and he built the first chemist shop in Rosewood in 1886.
“Another grandfather, John William Vance, who was the first Gate Keeper at Rosewood Rail Station after the railway opened in 1865, opened a store with a Post Office just across the road from where Almo’s stood.
“In 1923, her father, John William Evans, constructed a galvanised iron building on this site to sell and service the motor cars that were becoming more popular in the area.
“It was sold in 1931 but was bought back again in 1938 and became a family business, called Evans Brothers Garage, with Mary working in their office before she was married.”
Will and Elizabeth Mogensen have moved to Brisbane and they are looking forward to spending more time with their family and friends.
“They are truly grateful for the many dedicated staff who worked for them and their parents over the 74 years of the Mogensen family business and for all the loyal local customers where in some cases would be four generations,” Coral said.
“Almo’s has closed and with it the last business in Rosewood owned by one of the descendants of the early business pioneers.
“Now the question is will Will stop selling shoes? He said he hopes to continue to officiate at funerals for Rosewood locals so will he continue to be involved with soles as well as souls?
“We will just have to wait and see!”
