CULLEY’S Tea Rooms survived the Great Depression, World War II, and Covid, and now the family-run business is celebrating 100 years of operation.  

The Tea Rooms, whose main cafe in the Atwell Buildings has long provided a safe haven from the bustle of the High Street Mall, has been passed down from four generations since it was opened. 

The Chook sat down with current owner Michael Culley, who says he’s been working at the Tea Rooms for nearly 35 years since leaving school. 

“My great grandparents started it in 1925, Edward and Alice, and it was obviously very different back then,” Mr Culley said. 

“Alice did all the deals, which was probably a little bit unique for that time, and Edward was the workhorse. 

“After Edward and Alice, my grandfather and his brother ran it, Dick and Ted Culley, and then my father [Darrell] took over after them… I’ve got two older brothers, and they weren’t entirely interested, so then I came along and took over from my Dad.” 

• The latest Culley at the Helm: Michael. Photo by Katherine Kraayvanger

After Mr Culley took over the business in 2008, he and his business partner “spent a lot of money” on an in-house renovation, only to see it knocked down when Silverleaf purchased the building and set about with a major redevelopment; the bakery ended up shifting a few doors down. 

It was bad timing, because Culleys had just opened up four small “satellite stores” in Bibra Lake, O’Connor, and Myaree due to slow foot traffic in Freo, and the bakery was moved to Kardinya, says Mr Culley. 

“[After the renovation], my business partner saw the writing on the wall; he left, so it was just me and my dad who was 82 at the time… we got rid of the small stores, we moved the bakery back to Fremantle on Essex Lane, and we restructured by getting rid of the satellite stores and consolidating Fremantle,” he said. 

“That period was the toughest thing I’ve ever done, through all of that hardship and being under financial pressure for about eight years, it wasn’t easy, [but] I think I hung in there because we were coming up to 100 years.

“My great grandparents traded through the Great Depression and World War II, and I didn’t want to be the one where the business failed under my watch. 

“We’ve really focused on our catering, which we’ve become quite good at, so although we’re a smaller business now, we feel like we’ve got the model right.” 

There’s a particular presence about the cafe which has seen “generations” through its doors, which is a “special” testament to its longevity, according to Mr Culley, who made sure the original vintage fans, pressed tin, and historical photographs were installed at the new store. 

“Back in the day, people used to propose in the milk bar… people would then go to the pictures, to the Princess or the Majestic [cinemas], and that was their night out,” he said. 

Locals

“We tend to rely on all of the locals who seem to come to us [because of] the price point, the quality, and we work on our service a lot, so I think that’s probably the essence of how we stay sustainable through most periods. 

“In the last five years, I think that the hospitality in Fremantle has probably doubled, it’s become a real foodie destination, which doesn’t bother us a huge amount because we know that we’re not going to be the same as anyone else.”

Mr Culley has four sons who he says “might want” to take over the reins eventually. 

“When we went through the financial hardship and turmoil, my wife Melissa turned to me and said, ‘there’s no way we’re getting any of [our] children involved’, but I think that’s turning a bit now that we’ve got the model right and we’re trading a lot more efficiently… I’m sure she’ll come around,” he said with a laugh. 

“We moved the bakery under a year ago, and my wife is heavily involved in the catering side of things… for me, it’s been a great process, because running five stores with 45 staff was pretty hectic. 

“Now we’ve just got the Fremantle store and the bakery, we’ve got a bit of wholesale, bit of catering, so we’ve got enough to keep us busy, but we’re just consolidating what we’ve been doing because it’s still quite fresh.”

by KATHERINE KRAAYVANGER