Mickey’s Cafe

Blantyre's Ain Website

Blantyre, Lanarkshire, ScotlandGlasgow Road South

Mickey’s Cafe, Stonefield Road.

Stonefield Road, Valerio’s Building, Mickey’s Ice Cream Parlour, Scobie’s Bakers, Benham Newsagent, Chip shop, McCallum grocers, The Red Lion, Painters, Gibson Grocery and then Calder Street.

Mickey's Cafe

On our wander doon memory lane, we come to Stonefield Road and its time to pop into Mickey’s Ice Cream Parlour for a Mars ‘n ice with Tommy, Nancy and Velma as our hosts.

The Valerio Building was owned by the Valerio Family, and they restricted the sale of cigarettes, chocolate and of course, ice cream to all the shops they leased or rented out in the building. Scobies Bakers, Benham Newsagent, Chip shop, McCallum grocers, Painters.

Mickey’s closed in May 1988. Today the family have a small Crescent named after them.

John Cornfield: I remember this shop well, big Tommy, Nancy and Velma great people. This was my stomping ground as a youth. I apologise wholeheartedly for the runaround, we gave them myself, Tam Airlie (Burnbank ) big Stan, Steph Murray, Stevie Brownlee, Jim McAdam, Barney Welch, Gavin Stewart, Eddie McMillan, Bobby Gilmour, Davy Rantz, too many to name I’m sorry if I’ve left your name out. 
We tormented the life out of them sorry, but we had some laughs, some memories the aroma of this and Peter’s down on Glasgow Road was unique, I still can’t put my finger on it.

Linda Mcgowan: I remember sitting in Mickeys on a sunday night waiting for mass 2 finish then when someone came in fae mass I’d ask them what colour the priests vestment was…. cause my dad always asked me when I got home… oh the little rebel in me… oh! the shame… lol… just actually dawned on me he wouldn’t even have known as he didn’t go much to mass. doh!!! To think I ended up being a eucharistic minister 4 five years…

Paul McDermott: Enjoyed many a milkshake in Mickey’s Cafe!

Thomas Hamilton-Hailes: Many a pinched cheek from Mickie … and a cuddle thereafter from Velma or Mickey’s wife.

Morag Pickering: Loved in there my brothers and sister also went in absolute great cafe handy for the chapel, not dogger like most of yous great memories.

Moira McMenemy: It was always a treat to go to Mickey’s. Loved it.

Thomas Hamilton-Hailes: Me and some mates in the air-raid shelter through the close wi’ a candle and a packet of 5 woodbines … and me being allowed to sit in the back of Bessie Benham’s on a sack of spuds reading some comics.

Kathleen Anne Obrien: My Grandparents and my Mum and Dad stayed in the building above. Grandparents got a new house in Cypress Ave., and my Mum Dad and Sister Marie moved to the Crescents, Hardie Street, where my Mum was brought up from age 3. My Husband also started his apprenticeship as a Joiner round the back from Mickey’s, happy times!

Fran Mcdermott Walters: The chapel escape lol… we were all in there and I recall being sent over for misalettes so we could say we went and what priest was on lol x

Marie Kelly: Davie Kelly stayed in 218 Glasgow Road when he was 1 with his Mum Margaret (Magunigal) & Dad Donald Kelly you can see the close in the pic.

Carole Mackie Rickard: I still miss Mickey’s. My Papa was born above it in 1918.

Gerry Mcnamee: Mars & ice after 12 00 mass Velma serving u.

Annie Black: Enjoyed the old juke box in there with there lovely ice cream. Here I go again being home sick…

Marie McMillan: I would go to Mickey’s and no go to chapel, my dad came in and pulled me way my ears out aww x

Liz Allan: Ice cream drink on a Sunday with all our pals who should have been in chapel. All the glass jars of sweets on shelves and lots of chocolate and other things in the glass counter and the phone box inside the door.

Mary Meekat: Loved Mickeys… Coke, Ice cream and chopped Mars… Not forgetting the single fags and book of matches.

Edith Bulloch: Remember Peter Valerio’s cafe across from Harper’s garage, worked in both.

Now this is History.

Never before seen is this photo of Mickey and his brother Tommy outside Cafe de Royal.

Mickey's Cafe Claudia Wood, niece of Velma, has been asking her for some family photos and has given me kind permission to share this fantastic photo of Mickey’s Cafe.

Claudia’s link to ‘Aunty’ Velma is that she is cousins with her gran Celia Lombardi (deceased) and her Great Uncle Carlo Lombardi, who were the family of Vincent Lombardi as in Vince’s Chippy. Both Aunt Velma and Uncle Carlo are still in Blantyre, and Carlo still lives above Vince’s Chippy in the last of the Lombardi flats the family used to have in that block.


John Hutchison, who follows Blantyre’s Ain was checking on his Matchbook collection and found two pertaining to Blantyre. This one for Mickey’s Cafe and another for Hasties Farm.

More Comments:

Elizabeth Baillie Alemanno: Fantastic photo… ” look how smart they look”.!

Anne-marie Hart: Mickey’s was the best cafe I used to go in there all the time & get a snowball & ice cream and spring cola ice drink nom nom nom.

Margo Haughen: I remember Velma, Wee Mickey and Tommy so well- my dad bought 200 Kensitas Club from Mickey every Saturday morning!!!

Margaret Brown: Great we cafe memories.

Len Northfield: I remember Peter’s cafe at the East end of the town too.

Laurie Allan Crothers: Me too Len, same brilliant ice cream as his brother Mickey’s. His wee wife always reminded me of Molly Weir. Small with white hair always up in a bun.

Carolyn Patterson: brilliant childhood memories.

Ellen Swift: Went there every Sunday instead of mass.

Isabel Park: Stayed in building across the road from Mickey’s, he used shout up to my gran send Isabel down I have a parcel to go to the nuns in the Dandy and I would go. And take it to the nuns x

Tracey McDougall: Think a few folk dogged mass in there Ellen Swift! I remember being in once with. Sharon Burt who was supposed to b in chapel + she asked them when they came out what hymns Were so she could tell Auntie Mary that we went!!! The milkshakes were great

Gerry Gillies: Remember Thelma

Sally Fisher: My mum used to take me in there as a child they said because I had jet black hair and dark skin I could pass for Italian any day now I have 2 sons the same dark hair and skin they always get asked if there foreign Sally Boyd x

Liz Boxall: Loved the ice cream !! And the phone kiosk as you went in !!!

Carol Crombie: I loved the old booths – full of character.

Sharon Burt: Remember it so clearly Tracey but stop carrying stories.lol.x

Tracey McDougall: Ha ha don’t worry that’s the worse ! The rest are good xxx

Helen Dyer: it’s also where we used to buy single cigs.. oops! and Paterson Yep me n my best friend Janey McLauchlan went there every Sunday after mass, she would get a hot orange and I would get a cold orange n two packets of vinegar crisps and they sold this chocolate stick with a cream inside oh it was lovely happy memories xx

Moira McMenemy: Loved that cafe. Loads of memories.

Carole Jamieson: My friends mum either owned it or managed it for a while, lots of freebies… Dolly Mixtures on a plate!

Ann Millar: Aye brilliant memories n wee Mickey could hardly see our the counter he wis a gr8 wee guy.

Marion Smith: went there sometimes at school lunchtimes. Roll , square sausage & broon sauce & a wee glass bottle of coke. Not forgetting the selection of sweets, yummy!

Margaret Wilson: I used to stay across the road from it happy days.

Jacqui Lafferty Draper: Remember going there as a child. Loved it!

Letitia Mitchell: Great wee cafe

Helen Grieve: Spent many an hour in there!

Annie Black: Memories indeed.

Jack Owens: Double nougat was ok as well.

William Ross: The story that was told, was wee Mickey made his money selling pea bray penny a cup.

Blantyre’s Ain: Looks like I touched a nerve with Mickey’s, I just wonder what the kids will recall so lovingly in 40 to 50 years time!

John Cornfield: Had many a mars n ice and also ice drinks (remember them Valerio’s ice cream 2 scoops topped up wi any Robertsons ginger ye wanted) noo that’s a blast fae the past mmmmmmm

Marianne Aitken: Nancy wi the twitch….. Liam Broon well done !!!! …. couldn’t remember her name awwwww they were the days mars n ice cream … remember she always wanted you oot… and wee pied good money tae when ma mammy could afford it!! Always wanted tae knock the glesses they were served in….xxx

Daniel Anderson: chapel and a cone !!! hallelujiah

Catriona Paterson: A jaggy juice ( Robertson’s 5 star ginger beer ) ice drink was the biz… we need another cafe like this, the smell from this shop was fantastic.

Liam Brown: oh Mickey’s, where the Valerio family used to sell you your fave ice cream, and ice drink then when you sat in to eat, they would shout like hell, at us to hurry up and get oot. got barred when Velma was serving me and Nancy who had a really bad twitch, looked at me and had a twitch, I said I’m getting served, oot ya cheeky bugger was the reply.

Helen Stewart: Great place loved it

Linda McEwan Ashton: Ma wee mum used to work In Mickey’s

Fran Mcdermott Walters: Best rolls and sausage, then a mars bar ice cream… never could eat all my dinner after that, wasn’t supposed to be there lol x Many a good Sunday in there after mass of course lol x

Margaret Gallagher: I went here as a child with my grannie when we went up the street n thought it was the bees knées

Morag Campaigne: my Aunty Bella worked in Mickey’s cafe and when we were in the cafe having a bovril and cream crackers and fly fag a had to hide so she didnae see me ha ha.

Angela Vallely: Loved going there for ice cream

Wilma Murdoch MacPhail: Only place I know that you could get hot orange drinks, tried making it at home but it was never the same… I’ve lived in Australia for 25 yrs now but it could be just yesterday. Brings back memories of going to Hasties for soup and a roll at dinner time at Calder Street but if we didn’t have enough money for that we went to the wee shop and got sticky bun and sweets , my mum thought we were getting school dinners lol

Joyce Traynor: ha ha ha, mind used 2 hav nephew hame fr lunch fae skool, he never came 1 day, next day he says he was at Cafe de Royal for lunch, I says where?? he says across fae Old Original Bar, ha ha, psmsl, xx

Eileen Duffy Eger: Still one of my favourite memories!

Linda Mcgowan: I’ve seen Velma in Asda a few times… think I’ll stop & chat the next time.. She honestly hasn’t changed a bit.. she looks amazing…

Elizabeth Dobson Grieve: Loved going to Mickey’s as a kid. The ice drinks were always brilliant!

Linda Mcgowan: I used 2 work there 2… luved it… also frequented it with the Ferns family, Kellys & Gribbens… I was a Gilluley… all fae Hillview Drive, Coatshill. My dad always brought us tubs or single nougat’s on a Sat after a few pints in Craig’s in the days they shut @ 2.30pm… great memories…x

Carole Miller: does anyone remember the ice cream bananas they sold as well, terrific.

Maureen Brown: remember going with my dad at least 40 yrs or so ago loved going to Mickey’s

Helen Dyer: we used to go there to warm up in the winter get a cup of tea… ice cream was amazing.

Jeanette Allardyce Ward: They done hot cashew nuts, aw they were brill. Used to go their for our bowl of ice cream an raspberry every Sunday lol x

Paul Hudson McGowan: Ah Mickie’s cafe, some great memories from childhood. Snowball and Ice or an Iced Drink.

Eleanor Duncan Nailon: ice cream & ginger beer.great ice cream drink.

Lorraine Barker: I remember having ice cream drinks from there as a child.

Jane Maxwell: My friends and I would get a hot orange when it was cold and a Mars n ice when it was hot. My grandfather would bring irn bru, cream soda and a carton of ice cream every Saturday night to our house and we would all have shakes delicious. The best cafe in Blantyre the ice cream was made fresh the choice of sweets was huge and the hot roasted nuts were amazing. Oh and don’t forget the little packets of violets and the little hard liquorice delicious.

Sandy Wilkie: Used to go in with my dad, Peter Wilkie, on a Sat morning, to collect the Milk Money for the White Stuff we delivered during the week – the milk was for 3 purposes, to make the ice cream, to sell pint old fashioned gable top cartons to Wee Mickey, Mrs Valerio, Nancy and Tommy’s customers and finally, for the wee 1/2 pint cartons that were dispatched from the vending machine which used to be situated against the wall just outside the shop!

~~~

If you have any Photos… Send them to Bill

Blantyre, Lanarkshire, Scotland

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