Personally I love this building. Like much of Fitzroy’s industry it was initially intended to be “a boot factory, but are found to answer Mr Gibaud’s purposes admirably. They are built of brick, are two storied and present the appearance of great solidity. They are well lighted and ventilated, and the sanitary arrangements are perfect.” ( The Leader, 8 Feb 1896) and as such they became Gibaud and Sons, brush manufacturers.
“Gibaud and Sons, “are known not only for the excellence of their wares, but for having the courage of their opinions. They are thorough believers in the fixed policy of the country, and declare they cannot have too much protection. Mr Gibaud, senior partner, arrived in Melbourne from London in 1876, and being a practical man and well instructed in the trade he soon started in business, at first in Flinders-lane and subsequently in the suburbs.”( The Leader, 8 Feb 1896)
“Brushware is made in endless variety, from the smallest manufactured from bristles to the very largest size, including those composed of wire and used in foundries and iron workshops. Paint brushes are a speciality, those only of the very best description being allowed to leave the premises. Yet efforts have been made to decry their value, apparently for no other reason than that they are the colonial article. The firm has also started a broom factory, and in this branch a large and profitable trade is done.” ( The Leader, 8 Feb 1896)
