The Walled-in Market: The Pekedli General Store in Veszprém
Shortly after moving to Veszprém, Ms. Nóra (Nóri) Kis and Mr. Péter Juhász realised that, as unfortunate as it is, there aren't any shops, except supermarkets in the city, that offer fresh farm products and handicraft wares.
Photo: VEB2023 / Toroczkai Csaba
During the pandemic, they made the right decision at the perfect moment: they created an online marketplace, the "Pekedli". They offered products of Veszprém County farmers on a common platform and personally delivered them to customers. After just over a year, last November, they raised the business to a whole new level: they opened a general store in the heart of Veszprém, close to Old Town Square. The store is in a very fitting location: next to the Füge (Figs) Ice Cream Parlour and Café and just a few steps from KUNSZT, a bistro-café that also opened last year.
What does "Pekedli" mean, and what is a general store, you may ask.
The former is a dinner-pail, or lunchbox in West-Transdanubian dialect, while the latter is the name of a village grocery store that sells food, household goods and more. This description perfectly fits the newly opened shop, built with the support of the Veszprém-Balaton 2023 European Capital of Culture Street Image Development Programme.
Photo: VEB2023 / Csaba Toroczkai
We want to dispel the stereotype that farm produce is expensive
- say the owners, who have been offering additive-free, affordable products ever since they created the online shop.
Their goal is to build a small community so that Pekedli can be much more than a shop or an on-line market. Nóra and Péter know all the products they sell and are happy to answer customer’s questions, creating a far more personal contact than supermarkets can.
The store is a mix of traditional, folk, and contemporary goods. It offers a wide range of food products, including seasonal fruits and vegetables, pasta, jams, syrups, cold cuts, dairy products, pastries, eco-friendly cleaning products, household accessories and natural cosmetics.
They say there has been a lot of positive feedback since the opening, and a regular customer base is slowly building. Even the few months of the slower off-season have not been idle.
Photo: VEB2023 / Csaba Toroczkai
We've made several improvements, including adding a breakfast counter, where customers, if they are not in a hurry, can enjoy our sandwiches and breakfast plates made from farm-grown ingredients. But we are also happy to prepare breakfast to go, with fresh-brewed coffee, and fruit juices and syrups. We constantly search for new producers and small businesses to add their products to our range
Nóri says.
The back of the shop has space for holding various craft and gastronomy workshops, all using Pekedli's ingredients.
Photo: VEB2023 / Csaba Toroczkai
In January, we launched a Gastro Workshop series with the help of a dear friend who is a chef, creating exciting dishes with farm ingredients. In addition, chef Martin Pacsai will share many useful tips and practices with the participants: we have already made homemade pasta and created the perfect burger. In the upcoming sessions, we will be making sourdough and raised dough. We are also planning a thematic Easter workshop.
One should keep an eye on the social pages (Facebook/Instagram) and the calendar on the website for upcoming events to avoid missing out on the interesting programmes. A separate room is available to craftspeople, producers, artists, and educators, even after hours, where visitors can participate in storytelling sessions, mandala-painting, watercolour, and calligraphy workshops, among others.
Pekedli also offers exciting activities for children, including face painting on Children's Day in May in cooperation with the Füge (Figs) Ice Cream Parlour.
The shop is currently open from 8 am to 5 pm Tuesday to Friday, and from 9 am to 2 pm Saturday and Sunday. It is closed on Mondays. During high season, starting in May, they will extend their hours. Since the owners are keen dog owners, the place is pet friendly.
The former slogan of the online marketplace, "A market delivered to your doorstep", has taken on a whole new meaning with the creation of the general store. For the people of Veszprém, quality products are much closer than one might think; it's truly within reach. If you happen to be in Veszprém, Pekedli is definitely worth visiting.
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