Celebrating its 136th anniversary of continuous trading on March 20, Queen Victoria Market is something reminiscent of old Melbourne; one of the most popular cultural and heritage sites in the modern Victorian capital.

The site of the market – officially opened in 1878 – has lived many lives – as a cemetery, a livestock market and a wholesale fruit and vegetable market.
But throughout the 20th century, the market was also a breadwinner for countless Greek families and other European immigrants who had their first businesses here.

Even today, the Queen’s Market echoes with Greek. Out of 10 seafood stalls, only two fishmongers are of non-Greek origin. Out of 14 delicatessen shops, nine are owned by Greek Australians – in a majority of cases, successors of the several decades old family business.
Melbourne’s historic market, and a destination for all foodies, The Queen Victoria is now to be revitalised, following the October joint announcement of the Victorian Premier Denis Napthine and Lord Mayor Robert Doyle.

A parcel of land at the southern end of the market given to the Melbourne City Council by the Victorian government is now to be sold to fund the market’s revamp. Word has it the site for this commercial development is currently the market’s car park. The development is expected to help fund the $250 million revamp project – the largest investment in the history of the City of Melbourne, as Lord Mayor Robert Doyle puts it.

The car park is also, unbeknownst to many, a burial ground. Lying under the bitumen are the remains of 9,000 bodies – early settlers and indigenous people – from Melbourne’s first cemetery.

The plan for the market’s renewal has come under fire from the recently founded Save the Queen Victoria Market group. While discussions have been had about selling parts of the market, building an underground car park and re-routing Franklin Street; and community and stakeholder engagement meetings are being held, Queen Victoria Market traders and shoppers still struggle with the concept of change and have a mixed response, as everything still remains up in the air.

Before any renewal works take place, three rounds of community and stakeholder engagement will be held, concluding at the end of 2014. The first phase of community engagement took place in November 2013, with the second phase to commence in April.
And while the market survey has seen visitors and participants calling for improvements to weather protection in the sheds, stall displays, building on the popularity of the night market and concerns regarding the availability of public transport and car parking; as well as a ‘uniquely Melbourne’ experience to be maintained, traders seem to be mostly concerned about car parking, including a proposed underground car park, and the impact the construction may have on their businesses.

With Queen Victoria Market’s future being the future of over 20 Greek businesses, that employ more than 100 people, its stall holders talked to Neos Kosmos about their expectations and hopes for the future of Melbourne’s 19th-century icon and their breadwinner businesses.

Bill’s Farm

Owned and managed by Bill Tzimas for 24 years, a qualified cheese grader and judge for the Australian Grand Dairy Awards, Bill’s Farm offers dairy and meat products from around Australia and the world. Bill hopes that, whatever is done, it is not going to be detrimental to the market and the way it has established itself over the previous 100 years.

“To make the market more accessible is our main issue – if it means building 50-storey apartments overlooking the Flagstaff Gardens, let it be. But if it means disruption and fewer car park spaces, then it’s not worth it. There has been traders and management consultation back in November; at the moment there are consultations with the general public and all the housing groups. What we are concerned about is what they actually come up with in the end. Are we worried about something that is never going to happen, or are we genuinely worried about something that is actually going to be detrimental to the market?” Bill puts it rhetorically.

In his eyes, it is also up to the traders such as himself to think what they can do better on the personal level, to make the market a one stop shop, to make sure that customers do all their shopping there.

“I need a customer that is going to drive in mainly. The way things are, the person who comes once a week or once in a fortnight needs to come with a car. I don’t mind customers that come in every day on their bike or walking – they are part of the market shoppers too, I’m not dismissing them. But what we are losing is a mother who has a pram and a trolley full of shopping – if the market is not accessible, they will go somewhere else,” Bill says.
“We need to attract the younger population more, let them know the difference between quality food and industrial food, food that has been altered. Nature doesn’t produce shiny red apples all the time. It’s about bringing people to the market and educating them in a different type of food. Introduce them and make sure they can distinguish between the two.”

Dianne’s Delights

Six years ago, 29-year-old Paris Protopapas took over the family business, Dianne’s Delights, which has been serving Queen Victoria Market’s customers for the last 35 years.

Paris is afraid that with the renovation, customers will get used to shopping elsewhere, and it will take time to rebuild customers’ confidence again.

“But, it needs to happen. People come here to shop but they can’t enjoy it as they have the anxiety that they will get booked.

“It’s all up to the The City of Melbourne Council – we pay the rent to the market and the market pays to the Council, so they will decide.”

Hellenic Deli

Hellenic Deli has been in the family for 40 years and remains one of the only Queen Victoria Market delicatessens that features only Greek specialities. For its owners, John Kekidas and Anna Xasteroulis, parking facilities and its price are the main concern. “Why would you come to the market when you can go to the shopping centre and pay nothing for the parking? That’s the number one problem. They can’t change the outside of the building, as it is heritage listed, but the shops will have to be updated very soon.”

Limnos Seafoods

Limnos Seafoods has been part of the QVM seafood section since 1978. Its owner Yiorgos Hatzirodos is now ready to retire and enjoy his summers on his native island of Lemnos. But before that, he gives his say for the future of the market where he spent the last three decades.

“Underground parking will definitely affect our customers and our business until it’s completed. We do have regular meetings with the market and the Council; but whether we agree or not, it will happen.

My opinion is that the market urgently needs a big enough car park for our customers. That’s our main problem – our customers come to do their shopping, they can’t find any parking, they are in a rush to go back as the parking is too expensive – it costs $8 for 2 hours. The government is greedy, they want it all. At least, it should be free for the first hour.”

Seafood and Oyster Spot

Yiannis Yiannatzis, with the background from Cyprus, has spent 15 years in the wholesale market, and another 15 at the QVM, where he manages the family business Seafood and Oyster Spot. As he told Neos Kosmos, the market needs to keep in step with the times and any renovation is welcomed.
“We don’t know what is going to happen exactly, but every renovation is for a good reason in my opinion, so we expect it to be a positive change. The market has to move with the time, it needs change. A lot of people now live in the city; we don’t depend on the people who come from the country anymore. Most of the customers live in the city and we have to attract them. It’s a modern market and one of the best in the world, not only in Melbourne. No one can guarantee you that it’s for the better, until it happens. They ask for our ideas – but in the end, they do what they want.”

Deep Blue Seafood

For Angelo Christopoulos, of Deep Blue Seafood, it has been five years since he first called himself a Queen Vic Market fishmonger. What preceded was more than 25 years at the Melbourne wholesale fish market.

“I decided to take the plunge and buy my own shop here. I am very happy with what I am doing and what I am selling – fresh seafood.
“The market is being refurbished, they are fixing the car park and I think that’s our main priority – to enable people to still come to the market. Also, the shops are getting refurbished in the coming years. We just need to bring more people into the market, as the older generation has left the world and the younger generation just wants to buy seafood nearby. We need to try and attract them to the market during the week. If they do the underground car park, it will affect the traffic through the lane, but once that gets done it may be easier for people to park.”

With Queen Victoria Market being a precinct of state significance, defined by Heritage Overlay 7, Angelo is not concerned about possible changes to the market’s make-up.

“When Robert Doyle came to the market, all the stallholders were called to the meeting, and he promised the market will stay as it is from outside, as it is heritage listed. So our real main prerogative and concern is that they do repair and fix the car park. I am positive about the changes, the market will be here forever. We have our say, meetings happen often, and our market leaders will keep up with what’s going on.”

The Epicurean

For almost 13 years, Steven Constantinidis has been running The Epicurean Deli. He has seen better days, he says, as during the last three to four years the turnover has been down 20 to 30 per cent. In his opinion, the market has plenty of potential for better days, given that more effort is put into it.

“The only thing they will go wrong with is if they don’t give us a good sustainable car park, at a sustainable price. My suggestion would be to have two, three hours of cheap parking, but then for people who decide to continue their shopping in the city while parked here, it should be more.”

If the construction of the car park affects the businesses’ turnover, Steven’s fear is that the customers won’t come back. In that case, the compensation for the lost profit should be given to stall owners.

“It is proven that if the construction disrupts businesses, the customers don’t come back, they learn to shop somewhere else. Depending on how much construction they want to do, and how much destruction they create, we need to be compensated. Our wages have gone up, our rents have gone up, all our other expenses have gone up, but we have less turnover, so we need to be compensated in one way or another in order to help all trades.”