KUCHING (Feb 13): Love is in the air once more this time of year and ahead of Valentine’s Day, more roadside vendors are mushrooming around the city selling various tokens of romance.
The Borneo Post observed that the slight downpour which occurred since 11am on Sunday morning did not dampen the spirits of vendors looking for a brisk sale as they peddle their wares to passerbys seeking to profess their love for their other half.
Plush teddy bears are among the items sold for Valentine’s Day at a stall at Jalan Tun Jugah, Kuching. — Photo by Roystein Emmor
At Premier 101, Jalan Tun Jugah here, sellers were quick to reopen their stalls and welcome their respective customers after the rain subsided at around 2pm.
A vendor setting up his stall at Saradise. — Photo by Roystein Emmor
Some were seen bringing in stocks of plush toys and bouquets of flowers, while some could be seen working on their bouquets on the spot.
One such vendor was Wee Sze Yee, 33, who was seen arranging flower bouquets alongside her mother at her stall.
Wee Sze Yee
She said that currency bouquets and plush teddy bears were some of her top sellers and expected her sales to go up on the eve of Valentine’s Day as well as on the day itself.
“We get a lot of sales usually on Feb 13 and 14. Compared to our sales before (pre-MCO), we used to get a lot of people buying our products — now there’s a bit less of them but I believe we can more sales (this year),” she said.
Also selling around the area was Andy Wee, 44, who just opened for business on Sunday. Accompanied by his wife, he said among his top sellers were roses and flower bouquets.
Andy Wee
“For the past four years, I have not been selling — now I’ve just opened my stall here today. There were a lot of sales made prior to the pandemic but I fear this time around, sales will be less compared to previous years,” he said.
The same sentiment was voiced by vendor Jenny Goh, 25, who lamented that so far, customers coming to her stall only perused but did not purchase.
“For today, customers come to have a look but they are not buying — they are just asking. Sales will drop a bit compared to pre-MCO and also because there are more vendors on the street these days,” she said.
Having sold Valentine’s Day gifts for the past two years, she said that among her best-sellers were flower bouquets and plush teddy bears.
Meanwhile at Saradise, newcomer Vivian Li, 30, who just started her business this year has opened her stall and selling her merchandise since Feb 10.
Vivian Li
She said so far, her sales were okay and added that among her best-selling items were crochet flowers.
Also known as ‘Saint Valentine’s Day’ or the ‘Feast of Saint Valentine’, the Feb 14 celebration is said to have originated as a day to remember early Christian martyr, Saint Valentine, who was executed by Roman Emperor Claudius for ministering to Christians persecuted under the Roman Empire in the third century.
There had been numerous additions to the reason behind Saint Valentine’s executing, including him having secretly performed weddings for Christian soldiers who, at the time, were forbidden to marry.
Over the years and through colourful narrations, the occasion has now become synonymous with the celebration of love and romance and has been successfully commercialised.
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