Though the depression and war years stunted any development, the post war years became the economic boom years. In late 1959, Marcel (Mark) Dravet had built the Padstow North shopping centre (today’s Gibson Padstow Centre). “The shops were built at the same time the subdivisions in the area were put through, some undertaken by the Dravet family. When these shops first opened, there was a self-serve grocer, men’s hairdresser, pastry cook, fruit shop, butcher and even a doctor.” It was the Dravet family’s foresight that built the modern houses and the shops that served the families who had settled in Padstow after WW2.

The early 1970s marked the end of an era for the original line-up. On 8 August 1972, the Cipolla family purchased the centre from Mark Dravet. Some long-standing tenants at that time were Len Rackley the butcher, Harry Kontrafouris the fish shop owner, Mr V.A. Bryant the chemist, Ilario Cosentino the fruiterer, Mark Dravet the liquor store owner, Dr L. Munro the GP, Mr C.J. Wills the post shop owner, Rose’s Reception Lounge and Bob’s Hardware. Over the following years they began to make way for new businesses, and the strip underwent change and continued to evolve.

By the mid-1990s, Gibson Avenue had become home to a remarkably diverse mix of trades – doctors, hairdressers, screen printers, chocolatiers, computer specialists, real estate agents and more. These included Roy Vitetta Dance Studio, El Disco Night & Soccer Club, Readysell, HMO, Shirmac, Genelec, Ray’s Refrigeration, Italian Obsession, ABL Technologies and The Camerleng Receptions. Some stayed for a season, others for decades, but together they kept the strip alive through the changing face of Padstow.