Places & Plates · The Lori Diaries
I went on Instagram for vegan recipes and, somewhere along the way, found a friend. Then that friend went and opened a vegan mini market in Skopje. So naturally, I have a few things to say about it.
There's a particular kind of excitement that comes with discovering a small shop that sells the things you've been looking for. Not the enormous, everything-under-one-roof supermarket kind. I mean a little place with a clear idea of what it wants to offer.
For people looking for plant-based food in Skopje, shopping can sometimes involve a lot of detective work. You pick up a packet, turn it around, read the ingredients, put it back, and repeat. You find one thing in one shop and something else across town. By the time you've gathered what you need, your supposedly quick grocery trip has developed a plot.
That's why Vida Verde caught my attention. It's a mini market dedicated to vegan products, with options for people who eat plant-based, people looking for food suitable for fasting, and anyone who simply wants to try something different.
But my interest in Vida Verde is more personal than its shelves.
First, There Was an Instagram Recipe
I met Magi Mihajlovska the way so many modern friendships begin: through Instagram.
I started following her vegan recipes. At first, she was someone whose posts I enjoyed seeing on my phone. Over time, we got to know each other better, and that online connection became a close friendship.
I love that about the internet, actually. For all the time we spend complaining about it, sometimes it introduces us to someone we would never have met otherwise.
In this case, it introduced me to a woman whose passion for plant-based food grew into Vida Verde.
It's one thing to see somebody talk enthusiastically about an idea. It's another to see them turn it into a real place, with products on shelves and a door people can walk through.
I know Magi as my friend, so I'm not going to pretend this is a completely detached review. It isn't. I'm proud of her, and I wanted to write about what she's building.
But even if I hadn't known her first, I would still find the idea behind the shop worth talking about.
A Shop That Makes the Everyday a Little Easier
One of the things I appreciate about Vida Verde is that it has a specific purpose. It brings together products without animal-derived ingredients, rather than asking shoppers to search for them across several different supermarkets.
That matters if you're vegan, vegetarian, or shopping for food during a fasting period. It also matters if you're simply curious about plant-based cooking and don't know where to begin.
Maybe you want to try tofu for the first time. Maybe you're looking for a dairy-free alternative for a recipe. Maybe you've had a particular spread at somebody's house and have been thinking about it ever since. I understand that last one more than I probably should.
Vida Verde's range includes things like plant-based alternatives to meat and dairy, tofu and tempeh, spreads, nut butters, snacks, and other everyday groceries.
I don't think anybody needs to change their entire way of eating to enjoy browsing a shop like this. Sometimes trying one new ingredient is enough to make dinner more interesting.
And while a dedicated vegan shop makes ingredient-hunting easier, I'd still check the packaging if I were shopping for an allergy or a particular fasting requirement. Having everything in one place is convenient; knowing what works for you still matters.
For me, the lovely thing about Vida Verde is that it gives people more choice without asking them to arrive with an entirely new identity.
The Part That Isn't on the Shopping List
I have a soft spot for small businesses with a clear idea behind them. Not because I think running one is automatically charming. I imagine there are plenty of days when the paperwork, deliveries, and everyday responsibilities are considerably less exciting than the idea that started it all.
That's part of why I admire what Magi is doing.
I've watched her put so much care into this project, and I love seeing something she once shared through recipes become a space other people can use in their everyday lives.
A shop might look small from the street, but it can make a city feel bigger to the people who've been wishing for exactly that kind of place.
Not every shopper will need Vida Verde. That's fine. But someone who previously had to search several shops for the right ingredients now has another option. Someone curious about plant-based food has somewhere to browse. Someone building a business around a personal passion gets the chance to keep building it.
I like all three of those things.
Vida Verde also says it supports Macedonian producers and stocks products of Macedonian origin. I love the thought of a small local business making room for other local makers. Good ideas don't have to grow in isolation.
You Can Be Proud of a Friend and Still Write a Proper Post
There's a reason I wanted to tell you how I know Magi before telling you where to find the shop.
When you write about somebody you care about, the temptation is to call everything amazing, wonderful, extraordinary, and life-changing. It's very easy to sound like you've accidentally become their entire marketing department.
So here's what I can say without pretending otherwise: I'm happy for my friend, I like the idea behind her business, and I think a dedicated vegan mini market is a useful addition to Skopje.
I'm not going to tell you that every product will become your new favourite or that shopping there will transform your life. It is, after all, a grocery shop. Sometimes the greatest success of a grocery shop is that you find what you came for and get home in time to make dinner.
That's enough to be worth celebrating.
When I first followed Magi on Instagram, I was looking at vegan recipes. I had no idea it would lead to a friendship, much less to writing about a shop she'd one day open in Skopje.
Life is funny like that. Sometimes you follow someone because they know what to do with tofu, and years later you're cheering them on as they build something of their own.
I'm proud of Magi. I'm glad Vida Verde exists. And I like living in a city where there's one more place for people to find food that suits them, discover something new, or support a local business.
Not every lovely story needs a grand ending. Sometimes it starts with a recipe, becomes a friendship, and ends with a little shop whose door is open to everyone.
If you'd like to visit
Vida Verde
Maksim Gorki 8/8, Skopje
Follow @vidaverde.mk on Instagram
Check the latest opening hours, stock, and delivery availability before heading over or ordering.
Do you have a favourite small shop in Skopje that you think more people should know about? Tell me. I'm always happy to discover another good local place.
xoxo,
Lori
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