Highlights
- On the occasion of Preston Market completing 50 years, traders share memories and connection to the place and its visitors
- Its evolution from a European-centric market to a multicultural one reflects the shifts in Melbourne’s migrant constituencies
- Family business owners attribute the market’s survival and success to personal relationships established with customers and suppliers
Polish migrant Leon Jolson, the developer and original owner of the site of Preston Market, had envisaged “a place of noise and activity” with the “housewife” – a cue to the gendered shopper of the time – feeling exhilarated after a visit to the place.
Much has changed since then, but one thing remains unaltered, according to the traders - the community as the beating heart of the place.
George Batsakis’ father was one of the first to open a stall at Preston Market, in 1974.
He describes his business as an all-family “hard-working” model, with him actively involved since he was a schoolkid, before taking over the ownership of Preston Health Foods.
The Batsakis' stall, circa 1990. Source: Supplied
“You can understand, my whole life I’ve spent here in the market,” Mr Batsakis told SBS Greek.
“I grew up here[…] The customers we have today are children to parents who my father used to cater for, and we grew up together.”
Melissa Broumis shares similar recollections, assisting pappou Konstantino and yiayia Mersina - the first owners of Lemnos Deli, and now she assists her uncle and grandmother with running the stall.
“The shop is named after the island my grandparents came from back in 1966 and 1968.
“I’ve been working here for six years now, but prior to that whenever I wasn’t at school and during weekends, I would go to the market to help[…]I’ve got customers who knew me when I was a little girl, they knew my grandpa and have been coming to the shop for 40 years now,” she says.
Lemnos Deli circa 1975. Source: prestonmarket.com.au
But even for traders jumping on board later, like Betty Vekiarellis, who started a business with her husband around 15 years ago, the market feels like a second home.
“I’m not from Victoria, I’m an Adelaide girl. And when we came to the Preston market, that’s where we got to know the community and the Greek community especially, and we’ve, you know, even become friends with a lot of our customers, because our families are interstate and overseas," says Ms Vekiarellis.
Source: Preston Market/Facebook - Supplied
“We are still a teenager [business] you would say. But what we like about the market is that it is a truly traditional type of market, it’s not a shopping centre; you’ve still got the real people that come and shop. And the shopper demographics have been changing over the years.”
In August, the market marked 50 years since opening its doors to locals, but according to Mr Batsakis celebrations of the milestone are not confined to the northern suburb.
“People come here from all over Melbourne. I’ve got customers coming from Packenham, St Kilda, even Whittlesea. And now we have this COVID-19 situation[...] but you see customers who couldn't get here keep calling for orders.”
Preston Market celebrates 50 years. Source: Preston Market/Facebook
Reflecting on changes throughout the years, Mr Batsakis notes that the place has become attuned to further arrivals of migrant communities, evidenced in the stalls, products and the clientele.
“There were always the Greeks, the Italians, other Europeans... and as the region’s makeup changed with people from China, Vietnam and Korea for example, so did the stalls, bringing offerings specific to those communities as well as the people."
Preston market trader George Batsakis. Source: Supplied
Regular events dedicated to the market’s ethnic communities have been established in recent years, honouring the international vibe of the place.
According to Ms Broumis, the diverse mix of visitors is “representative of Melbourne’s multiculturalism".
Source: Preston Market/Facebook
Hailed as Melbourne's second-largest market, it welcomed an estimated 80,000 visitors every week before the coronavirus pandemic began.
“We’ve got the Indian community, the Sri Lankan, African communities, the Chinese, Greeks, Italians," says Ms Vekiarellis.
"This is what I love about Preston Market. It’s given us the opportunity to open a business interacting with customers from all over the world.”
For traders, the intimate connection to communities they serve is what sets them apart in a competitive commercial environment.
“I think customers like interacting with traders, you can’t find this at a supermarket, there’s something special about it; the market has a culture of its own,” says Ms Broumis.
“I believe all markets, in general, are booming nowadays because people want to support small businesses, it’s somewhere where you can connect and form relationships.
Grandmother and granddaughter, Mersina and Melissa Broumis. Source: Supplied
“The Preston Market is already thriving much more than 10 years ago. There’s been a total shift in the type of products people demand, people are now wanting products of higher quality that come from sustainable suppliers, things that are homemade, independent and unique.”
Falling in the ‘younger generation’ traders’ cohort, Betty Vekiarellis witnessed this transition first-hand. She bought a pre-existing stall with her husband in 2005 and six years later, she took “a leap of faith” in establishing Preston Free Range Poultry & Game.
The first couple of years were a “struggle”, she admits, “because free-range poultry, game meat like kangaroo, wallaby, emu and crocodile, people weren’t really, you know, used to eating that type of products.”
Betty Vekiarellis. Source: Supplied
“But what happened since then is what I call the Master Chef influence,” she describes laughing the effect the popular TV show had on public perception of game meats, helping the business take off.
Mr Batsakis says each shop has its own particular strengths, but the unique selling point, he points out, lies in trust-building with customers and the supply chain alike.
“Good prices, good quality, care and attention from the owner makes a difference[…] And you know that takes time, you can’t build these skills overnight.”
Source: Preston Market/Facebook
“We are all family-owned businesses,” Ms Vekiarellis agrees, “and I see that people want to support the small business and support local.”
“Yes, we’ve got the big supermarkets and the shopping centres that are going great guns and making big profits. But, you know, we are real traders and these are our own businesses. We are passionate about what we offer. We are passionate about our customers and we look after them.”
