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In 1987, when Toni Romeo sought to open a store in Rathdowne Street, Carlton North, a businessman friend gave her some sage advice.
Looking at the much-loved La Porchetta pizza shop and the students living nearby, he said: “I reckon an ice-cream shop would fit in well here.”
And so it proved. That shop, which Romeo named Yumbo’s – slang for “delicious” – has lasted 39 years.
It outlived La Porchetta, survived the Carlton North area’s move upmarket, and proved the ageless appeal of ice cream.
Romeo is closing Yumbo’s for good on Sunday, keen to spend more time with her five grandchildren, but she will miss her dear customers, many of whom have been with her from the start.
Diane Davidson said a stop at Yumbo’s was part of her regular neighbourhood walks. “It’s just been lovely,” she said.
Davidson will only order honey crunch flavoured ice-cream – vanilla with honey and bits of honeycomb.
Amanda Atkins said both of her children worked at Yumbo’s while at university, and Atkins now treated her four grandchildren to ice-creams here.
Romeo was hard-working and welcoming, and the ice-cream was made on-site, Atkins said.
Romeo’s family has had a 65-year link with Rathdowne Village, as the strip is known.
In 1961, Romeo’s father, Italian immigrant Giuseppe Condello, opened a shoe repair shop across the road at 717 Rathdowne Street.
He and his wife, Antonietta, and children, Toni, Grace and Vince, lived in the house behind the shop.
Giuseppe stopped working at the shop in 1978 and the family moved to Bulleen but leased the shop to others for nine years.
In 1987, Toni and Grace took up their father’s generous offer to give them the shop, rent-free at first.
Grace left after four years and their brother Vince joined Toni for four more years, then left.
In 2006, Yumbo’s moved across the road to its current location, next to La Porchetta, to give it more space and foot traffic.
Romeo’s husband, Tony Romeo, looked after the shop’s administration duties, and a current salesman, Brett Costa, joined when he filled in for Romeo 10 years ago.
Romeo said being “emotionally attached” to the business helped her hang on through tough times, including the COVID-19 pandemic. She said her children Daniel, Adrian and Laura had all had stints working at Yumbo’s.
She closed a Yumbo’s branch in Templestowe that operated for a few years in the early 2000s to focus on the Carlton North shop.
Each winter, Romeo closed Yumbo’s for two months for a holiday, often to visit relatives in Europe.
At Yumbo’s each June, customer numbers could fall to 12 a day, whereas on a good summer day, she has served more than 200 customers.
Romeo said one big plus about running an ice cream shop was “it’s such a happy environment”.
“The kids are ecstatic when they come in,” she said. “They’ve got smiles from ear to ear.
“I’ve been here forever. It’s been great. And if I wasn’t happy, I would have left years ago. But I’ve loved what I do.”
