SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - It's not easy being green. Nor is it easy making green when you're selling produce in this town.

Just ask Meto "Mike" Memedovski.

A long-time Yellowknife painter, Memedovski opened a fruit and vegetable stand named M&M Produce in the Wal-Mart parking lot a week and a half ago. The other "M" stands for Mira, his wife, partner and helper.

A Yellowknife painter since 1990 and faced with a shortage of painting jobs in May and June (he even travelled to Inuvik to take on a job for Northern Property REIT), Memedovski thought about what he could do to supplement his income.

"I thought, 'If I have to go places and there's no work here, might as well try another business,'" said Memedovski.

Noting that Yellowknife's last produce stand closed two years ago, Memedovski saw his chance.

"Customers come in talking about it. 'Some young fella used to do this and then he quit.'"

To supply himself for his opening, he drove to Osoyoos, B.C. in a recently purchased truck, buying a variety of fruits and vegetables directly from local farmers. The trip lasted three days and cost $2,000, most of it in gas.

"It was like a holiday. Just to go down there, it's fun ... but to make money, it's not easy," he said.

Principal among his difficulties: some foods on his list are simply not in stock when he goes down.

"Most of the things like apples, vegetables, they're not ready. They come in late. Maybe another couple of weeks. Middle of August."

For that reason, Memedovksi is planning a second road trip next month, but that will be his last this year, given the relatively short operating season for outdoor vendors in Yellowknife.

"Here, we have a short summer. By September it's too late to sell things," he said.

And then there's the small matter of knowing just what quantity of fruits and vegetables to buy to protect against spoiled food.

"If I fill up my truck, I'm going to have enough for a month. But then some of it is going to go bad."

He estimated that 20 to 30 per cent of his first load will go to waste.

"You've got bring them fresh," he said. "They've got to sell fast. If you bring a lot, then it's a waste."

Memedovski didn't expect he'd make any money on this first go-round, but the lessons he's learned will help him when he reopens next year.

"It's a little town. People - they need things," he said.