60 years of looking sharp: How my dad’s menswear shop became a local institution

A ‘junior-wanted’ sign hanging in the window of Terry’s Menswear on Station Street, Fairfield caught the eye of 14-year-old Frank Rocca in the 1960s, leading him to quit St. Joseph’s Technical School in Abbotsford and pursue a new career path.

The desire to earn and be independent the driving force behind his decision; as was chasing the fashion of the mods and rockers in the era that shaped his teenage years.

This story is about my father who, 60 years later, is working in the same retail shop on the same street. He now runs the shop with my mother, Clara. The couple changed the name to Frank Rocca Menswear on the advice of his boss, Mr. Hattam, in 1977.

Station Street, Fairfield. Picture: realcommercial.com.au

It’s where they’ve earned their reputation as a favourite among locals; musicians including Ash Naylor, (Even, The Church), comedian Dave O’Neil, the late Chopper Read, radio host and author Jon Faine and artist Rick Amor have often stepped inside for some camaraderie and walked out wearing new gear.

It’s also where the first Australian rock’n’roll radio announcer Stan Rofe (Stan the Man on 3KZ) would shop on a regular basis, encouraging Frank to request a song on air – his choice Unchained Melody by Roy Orbison.

Frank and Clara Rocca in the 1970s. Picture: Supplied

When Frank started as a junior, his job was to dust and sweep the store from one end to the other.

“I wasn’t allowed to serve customers as a junior, only if the second or third customer came in, and the others were already serving, then I could step in,” he says.

“A lot of Italians liked to shop there too, and I could understand and speak it a bit. Being well-mannered and nice to your customers was the generation I grew up in and was trained to speak to everyone the same, and care for each customer no matter what they came in for.”

The menswear store has shifted from a traditional one to a more contemporary curation of brands, where shoppers head for anything from formal wedding suit hire to paisley 1960s shirts with a modern twist. It’s where a guitar sits in the window display and the songs of Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison and The Beatles are playing in the background.

Frank Rocca Menswear. Picture: Jemimah Clegg

Migrating to Australia from Italy in the 1950s, Fairfield was the first suburb the Roccas arrived in.

They already knew of relatives living on Hoddle Street, Collingwood, but Frank’s father – who worked in the building industry – bought the first family home at 22 Gordon Street, Fairfield.

As a teenager, Frank found his social calling hanging out in the city where the mods and sharpies thrived – he was part of the latter – wearing Conti cardigans, Crestknit Banlon polo tops in shades of baby blue and burgundy, and tailored pants as he took the train from Fairfield to Flinders Street Station to hang with other likeminded individuals.

Station Street, Fairfield, where Frank Rocca Menswear has been sine the ’60s. Picture: realcommercial.com.au

They bought vinyl records on Station Street, drank chocolate milkshakes from corner store milk bars, went to see live music at Opus in St Kilda and spent Sunday afternoons hanging around Degraves Street – a sharpies only zone; no mods allowed.

“A sharpie girl I used to date in the ’60s came to visit me at the store a few years ago to ask me if I remembered her from all those years ago, to which I replied ‘of course’,” says Rocca.

Fairfield has evolved since the 1950s working class era to become one of middle class note. Rocca has seen the high street change over the decades – his store is the longest operating on the strip.

Frank and Clara Rocca in the shop. Picture: Supplied

While walking home from St. Anthony’s Church with his mum as a child; Frank recalls stopping at Strangio’s Chemist where a penny would get you to see a train model move around in the window.  There was Prince’s Bakery where Mrs Harris would give Frank a Boston bun and homemade jam donuts.

Being well dressed mattered to Frank – every dollar earned went to buying a turntable, vinyl records and new clothes.

“All the button-down pink, baby blue and white collared shirts like Elvis Presley used to wear were what we all desired,” he says. “Elvis inspired how we wanted to dress and I got many of these from Terry’s Menswear too.”

From pinball machines at George’s Milk Bar on the corner of Arthur and Gordon Streets, Fairfield – where they also played billiards – to hanging out at the Northcote Bowls, subcultures spilled from the suburbs to the city chasing music and companionship.

Station Street Fairfield has changed a lot since the 1960s. Picture: realcommercial.com.au

“Some of the rockers became sharpies,” says Rocca.

“I would buy cardigans from Conti in Thornbury and Crestknit Banlon Polos were a regular request among my friends who were sharpies too,” says Rocca.

“We’d go to the city to see Max Merit and The Meteors who played at Degraves. We also saw The Beatles and Roy Orbison at Festival Hall and as a teenager, I saw Beatles outside the Southern Cross Hotel.”

His boss, Mr. Hattam, was the President of the Lions Club at the time, and also helped fund a documentary by Australian filmmaker Malcom Douglas called ‘Across the Top in 1969’; to shine a light on indigenous culture in the Northern Territoy outback. There were always interesting characters coming into the shop.

“Each generation has its own defining moment,” says Rocca.

“It’s a privilege to still be here and be able to share the history I have witnessed, and keep a store like this going over six decades. My boss Mr. Hattam encouraged me to take over the business with my wife in the ’70s, and without his encouragement, I wouldn’t be here.”

Frank Rocca in his store, which he has run sine the ’70s. Picture: Supplied