Help, our local businesses are dying
By Gabrielle Ang & Noreen Shazreen
Small businesses from all over the island have fallen victim to Covid-19’s economic downturn. GABRIELLE ANG and NOREEN SHAZREEN find out how they are coping to stand a fighting chance against Singapore’s economic slump.
PRIDE: “Two years back, in 2018, [the] Prime Minister came here. We took one selfie and he put on his Facebook,” says Mr Kazura, pointing to the framed photograph in his shop. Photo by Gabrielle Ang.
Before the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, Jamal Kazura, 73, saw over a hundred customers, most of them tourists, at his family’s perfumery located at Arab Street.
Similarly, Bobby Luo’s boutique was once an object of curiosity for tourists, while Nick Bong and his co-workers had planned for live DJ sessions to be held each week at their record store in the Esplanade Mall.
In a horrid twist of fate, many businesses started to go downhill ever since the coronavirus crisis struck the world. On Mar 23, 2020, the Ministry of Health (MOH) imposed entry restrictions and border closures in Singapore to reduce the spread of Covid-19.
This year, Jamal Kazura Aromatics hit a slump when the circuit breaker was implemented from Apr 7 to Jun 1, as non-essential businesses like Mr Kazura’s had to be closed temporarily to prevent the virus from spreading.
“If you came at this time during a Saturday or Sunday [before the circuit breaker], tourists would queue up and come in throngs from tour buses. Our shop is pretty well-known,” Mr Kazura says.
The family business, started in 1933 by Mr Kazura’s father, was doing so well that he rented another outlet to accommodate the overwhelming number of tourists that visited the shop before the travel ban.
But losses are running up day by day, as the shop no longer has tourists to supplement its revenue.
A report by the Department of Statistics Singapore shows that businesses in the service sector expect conditions to decline in the next few months until December 2020.
A view of Haji Lane on Aug 9, 2020: Empty stores, even on National Day. Photo by Noreen Shazreen.
It was National Day when KITSCH interviewed Mr Kazura in a shop devoid of customers. Despite occasional visits from local patrons, Mr Kazura states that it fails to make up for the business’ poor performance as 90 per cent of his customers are tourists.
“Per day a hundred bottles were sold. Now, not even a single bottle a day,” he adds.
The same struggle is echoed for Mr Bobby Luo, 49, who co-founded Super Freak Boutique in 2015.
Mr Luo, whose business was in the midst of a shift from Orchard Gateway to Stamford Court during the circuit breaker, says: “A large group of our clients are tourists. The local regulars who buy our stuff are only a small niche.”
FASHIONISTA: Mr Luo during the last day of Super Freak Boutique’s operations in Orchard Gateway, a store which prides itself on selling unique pieces of apparel and accessories. Photo by Gabrielle Ang.
Meanwhile, the salon that shares the shop space with the boutique has seen a steady flow of customers. Mr Luo says that this is likely because it is an essential service.
“Fashion has been upended. And it doesn’t feel right for me to sell clothes at this time, so I’ve been working with brands and creatives to create unique face masks,” he says.
In addition, Mr Luo has been expanding his business online. He is no stranger to e-commerce, having started his shop online in its early days.
As Singapore reopens its economy in Phase 2, Mr Kazura notes that it will still be difficult to manage the operations of his business.
Mr Kazura says: “I pay about $6,000 for rental… My monthly overhead charges are about $10,000 to $12,000. Maybe I’ll wait for another two or three months up till January. If [there is] 50 per cent improvement, okay, I can survive.”
“Because without tourists, we can’t survive,” he adds, stating that around 15 to 20 small businesses in the area have closed down because of the pandemic.
Similarly, other small artisanal businesses like these carpet shops on Muscat Street and Mosque Street are just as lonely, sighted with only a few patrons who have known them for generations. Photos by Gabrielle Ang.
Other non-essential retailers, such as record store The Analog Vault, are suffering as well. The store situated in Esplanade Mall sells a variety of vinyl records, catering to audiophiles and music lovers who patronise the nearby concert halls and arts spaces.
“Mainly, we’ve been hit hard by the lack of shows in Esplanade, because that’s where most of our customers come from,” says Mr Nick Bong, 30, the store’s marketing executive and occasional DJ.
TURNING TABLES: Nick Bong, also known to customers as Bongomann, runs The Analog Vault in the Esplanade. Photo by Gabrielle Ang.
A customer buying a vinyl record at The Analog Vault. Photo by Gabrielle Ang.
Furthermore, the unpopularity of vinyl and the rise of digital streaming have worsened the suffering of record stores.
Mr Bong says: “During the early part of circuit breaker, we were doing okay because people would buy our records online and we had aid from the government’s rental waivers. Now, there’s people coming on the weekends, not so much on the weekdays… it’s not super healthy, I guess.”
“I would be pulling my hair out if I own this business.”
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The store foresees an improvement in revenue once safe distancing measures have relaxed, and more shows can be played in the Esplanade.
“I think when they can have shows here, it will [get better]. For now, we just gotta drive online traffic a bit more,” Mr Bong says.