TELAGA AIR: Small hawker stalls along the esplanade here are a hardy and resilient lot, able to stay positive in expectation of better days ahead despite the economic doom and gloom that is in most people’s minds following the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic.
For example, Zaini Potot, who sells fruit pickles, snacks such as ‘kuih sepit’, and ‘rempeyek’ and drinks such as coconut water observed that his business has been picking up lately.
He said regardless of the time of days of the week, visitors often come to walk around or to enjoy some seafood.
“I am very glad that my business is doing well, especially after being hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic. Most of us were badly affected by the movement restrictions and fearful people were reluctant to go out. Now that the situation has improved, we can generate some income to support our families,” he said.
The 50-year-old, who is from Kampung Trombol, hoped that the authorities would build proper and better hawker stalls.
When it was pointed out that the stalls seem to be alright as they are, he said there are some concerns about public safety as the stalls are so close to the road where traffic is often heavy, especially during weekends and public holidays.
“I worry about our customers because sometimes some inconsiderate people drive the cars fast along the road,” he said.
Another hawker, Asmira Razali, who has been running her mother’s stall for the past eight years, lost no time in promoting her fruit pickles when approached for an interview.
“My pickles sell like hotcakes daily,” she said with a beaming smile.
She makes 210 or so cups of fruit pickles in a week and sells approximately 20 to 30 cups a day.
“The mango and great hog plum (kedondong) pickles are very popular. I have customers who even buy five cups at once,” she said.
On her fruit supplies, she said some were from her orchard and some from other suppliers.
The 26-year-old from Kampung Telaga Air said she sells the fruit pickles from RM5 for a small cup up to RM15 for a big cup.
Regarding customer traffic, she has observed that the number of people coming has increased since the restrictions on public movement were removed after the government announced the transition of the COVID-19 phase from pandemic to endemic.
“I hope that more and more visitors would come. More visitors mean more benefits for small businesses like mine. Anyway, this place is a nice place to visit as it offers a wide range of seafood and local dishes,” she said.
