The Samarahan Food & Cultural Festival 2022, which took place from December 10 till yesterday, attracted many visitors with stalls selling food, drinks, handicrafts, and other items. The festival was also graced with Zumba performances in traditional multi-ethnic costumes from Sarawak.
I had the opportunity to meet and interview three stall owners at this event — Hasnah Junaidi, Winnie Cooper, and Ismail Hanafi. They shared their thoughts on the festival.
“On the first day, sales were increasing. I am also a chips Mak Mem businesswoman, and also sell rempeyek, popia gulung, and biscuits. My husband has a kelulut honey farm as well,” said Hasnah, 36, who is a kindergarten teacher.
She added that she runs an agricultural business and due to that, the people in Samarahan are familiar with her.
During the festival, she encountered difficulties because of the rain. But she remained steady, and business was thriving. Chips were among the best-selling things in her stall.
She also hopes to be able to do business at this festival again in the future.
Meanwhile, Winnie, 43, a ceramic beads businesswoman, said that this is her first time participating in the festival and that she has received a positive response. The majority of the items offered at her stall are accessories for women made of ceramic beads, precious stones, and pearls. Bracelets and earrings are among the best-selling products because of their reasonable prices.
“I’d like to return to this festival in the future because the people in Samarahan are so nice, and they love the modern accessories I sold. Anyone can wear accessories and flaunt them. Some people bought these accessories as gifts for others,” she said.
Ismail, 36, a worker at the Batu Kitang Water Treatment Plant, also said that this is his first time participating in this festival. He sold mee jawa, mee belacan, nasi hujan panas, nasi tomato, kacang cornflakes, kuih muih bubur durian, and nasi lemak sotong at his stall. His best-selling items were the nasi lemak sotong, mee jawa, nasi hujan panas, and fruit cocktails.
“The method for attracting customers’ attention is to always be courteous by having good conversations with them. I enjoy serving people with delicious food and that makes me happy,” he said.
The Samarahan Food & Cultural Festival 2022 received a positive response from entrepreneurs and visitors. In the future, it is hoped that events like this festival would generate income for small business owners and entrepreneurs.
• This article was written by a student from the Strategic Communication Programme at the Faculty of Language and Communication, UNIMAS.
