News Corp Australia
First published 21 Oct 2025, 5:00am
Immortalised in an ad for a popular bakery, a treasured Adelaide shopfront is asking buyers, “What about me?’’
The former corner store at 1 View St, Lower Mitcham, featured in Balfours Bakery’s 1991 television ad campaign, where a small boy wanting a pie and an iconic frog cake is jostled and knocked to the ground by a shopful of hungry customers.
The ad was set to the song “What About Me’’, by Australian rock band Moving Pictures.
The 1910-built store, which is now a beloved four-bedroom family home, recently hit the market after vendors Michelle and Stuart regretfully decided it was time to downsize.
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The Lower Mitcham property at 1 View St used to be a corner store.
It was featured in a Balfours Bakery’s television ad in 1991.
It was a well-known ad set to the song “What About Me’’ by Australian rock band Moving Pictures.
In the ad, a small boy wanting a pie and an iconic frog cake is jostled and knocked to the ground by a shopful of hungry customers.
Michelle said the Balfours ad was one of many curious backstories linked to the home, which was originally a hardware-style store operated by the Hague family.
“The Hagues were the family that originally built the premises … (and they sold) paints and all sorts of bits and pieces,’’ Michelle said.
“Then it turned more into your corner store-type deli thing.
“People we run into (in Lower Mitcham) talk about how they remember going to buy a cheese sandwich from the corner store – a lot of people living in the area still remember it.
“There was a safe inside the wall in one of the bedrooms and that’s were (the shopkeeper) used to put all the takings (money) at night.
“(The safe) is still there. We’ve got the instructions and the combination number for it but it doesn’t open – it’s 115 years old now and I think it’s just too old (to use).’’
Local folklore, considered to be fact by a descendant of the original Hague owners, suggests a donkey that once used to deliver goods to customers is buried at the property, although Michelle said no evidence had been found.
She said other stories shared by locals include an occasion where a car parked at the top of the street without its park brake on rolled down and hit the store, taking out one of its veranda posts.
The store’s counters are long gone, with the shop section now divided into a lounge and a large office where Stuart operated his consulting business.
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He eventually gets his pie and frog cake then sits on the veranda to eat his treats.
The 1910-built store is now a beloved four-bedroom family home.
It recently hit the market with a price guide of $1.65m to $1.75m.
There’s also a small bathroom and kitchenette, making the former shop space ideal as independent living quarters for ageing parents or independent teens, Michelle said.
The main bungalow-style home comes with many quintessential period features, including polished Baltic pine floors and lofty decorative ceilings.
Michelle said while the home was charming in its own right, its history added to its appeal.
“I don’t know whether people are that curious to go and have a look (at the house because of its connection to Balfours) but I guess I could hope,’’ she said.
“It is a point of difference and if people ask you about the house you do tell them that it was in that ad.
“It is nice to feel that your house has got a place in local history.’’
The property, which spans 587sqm and is close to schools, shops and public transport, is listed with Harris Real Estate agents Lincoln Marshall and Jackie Kennedy with a price guide of $1.65m to $1.75m.
– by Lauren Ahwan
English (US) · 