George’s Garden is one of our market’s founding sellers and their queue for vegetables is an enduring feature of the market.
These days you will find George’s son, Ivan Vezich, selling his dad’s fruit and vegetables in the Garden Room.
Did you grow up in West Auckland?
No – I grew up in Dargaville on a small farm. My mum grew a range of produce, but her specialty was strawberries.
So, you have market gardening on both sides of your family?
Yes – Dad’s specialty has been strawberries for many years and my brother grows strawberries on his farm too.
Is George still working in the garden?
Of course – it’s his passion. He loves working in the garden. It’s still a West Auckland rural oasis even though developments creep closer and start to surround our farm. These days, Dad needs more rest breaks and the garden work allows him to pace himself.
How long have you been coming to the market?
The market has been a big part of my life since I moved to Auckland as a teenager. I’ve always been more interested in the business side of our operation, so this is a natural fit for me.
Is it a profitable business?
We are covering our costs. Some people seem to think that Dad is making millions, but it’s not a high margin business and Dad isn’t interested in that. He is adamant that he needs to charge fair prices so that customers can afford good food. Our prices mostly stay the same.
Tell me about that queue.
It is always flattering to be so popular. Coming from Croatia where market customers just go to the things they want, Dad finds the queue amusing. It’s not something we have asked people to do – queue etiquette is just something that people have done naturally.
Tell me about your customers.
They are a highlight of my Sunday mornings. Some of them have been buying fruit and vegetables from us for over a decade, so I love hearing what is happening to them and swapping stories.
What are the most popular things that people buy?
Berries and summer fruit, when they are in season. Year round, broccoli and cucumber are popular, but people buy a wide range of produce.
Sometimes I see people with lots of celery.
Yes – it’s one of those things that has a following. Some people buy many bunches of celery so that they can juice it.
How do new customers fit it?
It’s lovely to see new faces. Sometimes they need some help to realise that there are three stalls in the Garden Room – our George’s Garden, Edward’s Bio VG, and Julian’s Raw Culture microgreens. New customers quickly learn from watching regulars who know that our plastic punnets are portion sizes and they tip products into their own bag, leaving the punnet for us to refill. Some of those punnets have been coming to the market almost as long as I have!
I thought mental arithmetic was a lost art, but you don’t use calculators.
I’ve always been decent with numbers and, for us, it's simple addition. Customers rattle off the things in their bags and we add it up as they do that – it’s not too tricky.
Do you manage to get around the rest of the market?
Yes – when there’s a mid-morning lull, I usually get a chance to leave Yu and Paula looking after our stall while I catch up with other stallholders and get something to eat. There are so many delicious options at the market to choose from.