The Orchard Fruit & Veg Store
Patrick Fortune and The Orchard Fruit & Veg store on Duffry Hill, has customers dropping in daily, with many in to get their “tomatoes and other bits” after 10am Mass in St Aidan’s Cathedral. Patrick sells affordable, fresh produce everything from potatoes, apples, turnips, bread tarts, cakes and flowers… but when you’re running a tiny shop for 15 years the commitment is endless, the income may not be there to hire full-time staff to relieve the pressure… Patrick’s working day starts early (as he grows much of the produce himself), often feeling like a day’s work is done before the shop opens.
There have always been challenges, such as the changing nature of the retail however, Patrick refuses to succumb to the bigger stores and is still fighting on.