Kevin Stanisich is a 4th generation trader at the
Queen Victoria Market. His family has a long history of trading at this
Melbourne icon but it is time to move on. Kevin and his wife, Annette, are
selling their Teddy Bear stall in J shed.
Kevin’s Great Grandfather used to sell spectacles at the
market at a time when a horse and cart were parked behind the stall instead of
a motor vehicle. Kevin’s Grandfather sold a huge variety of products but mostly
related to the rag trade. There were fabrics, furs and laces often bought
direct from manufacturers in Flinders Lane.
Kevin remembers the excitement of buying a new load of
goods, placing it on the stall and then seeing what sold. Leftovers were slowly
reduced in price until they did sell and then the whole process started over
again. He recalls his Father selling the first lot of Koala souvenirs at the
market. They were made locally out of Kangaroo skin. He also recalls the time
when the market conducted a car boot sale in L shed. He, and a couple of other
traders with a passion for antiques, used to troll the stalls early in the
morning looking for treasures.
There was usually an element of manufacturing involved in
this market business. Kevin’s Mother would make and sell babywear, while in
later years Annette would make lamp shades as part of their haberdashery
business.
At the Lord Mayor’s Commendations for small business in
2012, Kevin received a Platinum Award for 50+ years of service to the City of
Melbourne plus a Generational Family Business Commendation. His wife Annette
received a Gold Commendation for small business service.
Recognition of this sort doesn’t come regularly at QVM.
Traders tend to concentrate on daily service to their customers as just part of
running a business. There is little room for reflection and indeed Kevin and
Annette were reluctant to have information published on this website. It is
true that the market is bigger than the trader. Times move on and change is
inevitable. But pausing occasionally to recognise outstanding contributions is
worthwhile and Kevin and Annette certainly fall into this category. We wish
them every success in this new phase of their life and thank them for their
service to QVM, its customers and the trader community.