LOCAL

Market musings

Karin Bremer meets the faces behind Stanley Market

The third wave of Covid-19 lockdown rules, which started in late July was one of the strictest yet. However, many shop owners felt the strain long before July. The civil unrest in the city marked the beginning of the decline in tourists visiting Hong Kong, closely followed by the Covid-19 pandemic, which saw borders shut for non- residents. Many small business owners have been struggling to stay afloat.

Many shop keepers in Stanley Market are feeling the impact. Walking through a normally thriving street on any given day is a sad sight indeed. Shop operators estimate that about half of all Stanley stores have either already closed or will have to shut due to a lack of visitors over the next few months.

Mr Philip Choi was born and raised in Stanley. His parents used to run a store that serviced the military families at the Stanley Ford over 60 years ago. Mr Choi’s store is the first you see when walking towards the market from the bus terminal, selling luggage and souvenirs. He tries to keep the store open as much as possible, even during the week as people believe that the market is closed if he is not open.

Another long term operator is Bed & Beyond which has called Stanley Market home since 1985. The shop is well-known for its high quality bed sheets, embroidered table linen and sleepwear and used to have around 100 visitors each day. Today, the shop is lucky to receive 10 transactions a day.

Lolita Yiu has worked at iTech selling everything from paintings to electronics and toys since 2003. When the pandemic hit, toys became her best seller but business has been shrinking. Lolita used to sell over ten paintings a day but now it’s down to just two or three on a good day. To try and adapt to the situation, Lolita has changed the shop’s slogan to “you name it, we have it. And if we don’t have it straight away, we will find it for you within a week.”

Sun and Moon Fashion is another well-known store, operated by Doris Kwan for over 34 years. The garment outlet has taken a sharp decline over the past few months, but remains open everyday offering branded clothing at discounted prices. Ms Kwan urges Southside residents to “support each other to ride this tide”.

The high rent and lack of visitors to Stanley Market is putting this tourist destination and independent business hub under threat. Business owners urge Southside residents to pop by and help support them during this time before it’s too late.