No festive cheers for Petaling Street traders

by FAYYADH JAAFAR / Pic by MUHD AMIN NAHARUL

PETALING Street, which is one of the oldest streets in Kuala Lumpur (KL), is home to numerous small shops selling everything from food to clothes to electronic gadgets. 

However, it seems like the corner in the heart of KL is struggling to recover from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

The street has seen its fair share of ups and downs over the past two decades. In fact, it was once considered an important shopping destination for Malaysians looking for cheap goods. 

However, the street has been hit hard by the pandemic, especially after the government imposed movement restrictions in mid-March 2020. 

The lockdown meant that most of the street’s stall vendors were forced to close down their stores. In fact, some of them even had to shut down permanently. 

Today, the street is still filled with empty storefronts and closed stalls. Many of the vendors who remain open have resigned themselves to the current situation. 

According to local business owners, the pandemic has affected their businesses more than they expected. They said the number of customers visiting Petaling Street is far lower compared to before the pandemic. 

An electronics and gadget store owner, who only wanted to be known as Ho, said he is not optimistic about the future of his business. He said the pandemic has taken away the main source of income for many of the vendors in Petaling Street. 

“Last year, we couldn’t open our businesses because of the lockdowns. But now we can open, but there are only a few visitors,” Ho told The Malaysian Reserve. 

He added that many other businesses in Petaling Street are also suffering from the pandemic. 

“Things have been slowly picking up since August 2021. People are accepting the new norms and are vaccinated. So, the footfall is slowly picking up.” 

Ho hopes that tourists will start coming back to Petaling Street soon. He also hopes that the pandemic will be over soon so that the vendors can get back to doing what they do best. 

“I hope things will return to normal. We need tourists to come and visit us again. It’s not just the vendors in Petaling Street, but the whole nation needs tourists to come and spend money here. If we don’t have tourists, then how are we going to survive?” 

Another vendor, who wished to be known as Chung, a textile wholesaler, also expressed similar sentiments. 

Chung owns a shop in the middle of Petaling Street that has been opened for almost 60 years by his father. He said the festivities are not as exciting as they used to be. 

“Our business has always been struggling, even before the pandemic. Now, things are worse. I think the pandemic is affecting everyone’s business.” 

He stated that there are fewer people visiting Petaling Street nowadays. 

“It’s not just Petaling Street, but all of Malaysia is feeling the effects of the pandemic. There are fewer people visiting other places too. 

“Although, unlike the other small vendors, my shop is not as exposed as Brickfields or KLCC, it’s still not as active as it was before the pandemic. There are hardly any people visiting my shop,” Chung said. 

He addd that there is a noticeable lack of optimism among the vendors and traders there. Usually, they would be out promoting their sales items, but now they seemed rather resigned. 

“There’s a noticeable lack of enthusiasm among the vendors and traders here, they are mostly resigned to their fate. They are not as active as they were before the pandemic.” 

As the streets are not as crowded as they used to be, Chung believes that the vendors are not as visible as they used to be. 

“At this point, most of the people visiting Petaling Street are just passers-by and not there to buy things from.”