Sometimes life throws you a curveball, as hawker Alex Leong found out. The Malaysia-born, 34, had been operating his new stall Cheong Kee Wanton Mee out of an airy Ang Mo Kio kopitiam for only three months, when the coffeeshop got sold to a new owner. Seeing as he had to sign another lease with the new management, Alex decided to close his stall as he expected his rent to go up after the coffeeshop’s revamp.
He is ceasing operations on Jul 13. “I put a lot of effort into designing the menu, stall layout, registering the business and looking for suppliers as I had no contacts or guidance. I had to start from zero,” he recounts. Having sold an average of 150 bowls a day during his short hawker stint, he estimates that he still makes a profit overall – though “not much” – on his original $20k investment.
Closure a blessing in disguise
But Alex maintains that he does not see his unforeseen closure as unlucky, or regret his decision to start a hawker stall. “The outcome of investing in a business is always uncertain,” he points out. “I appreciate the experience as I have regular customers and made a lot of friends.”
He also views the sudden change in coffeeshop ownership as a fortuitous opportunity to quit while he’s ahead. While Alex says that operational costs were still “bearable” when he first started his stall, he had to grapple with suppliers changing prices and ingredient portions over the past few months. “The market is changing, and overall costs have surged. As a player in it, I’m taking this chance to get out before the fire rages,” he shares.
After the stall’s closure, he plans to take a month off before looking for another office job. “I have no plans to reopen yet as the market is not stable. But a hawker stall is still my first choice when I’m ready to start over again,” he declares.
More at https://www.todayonline.com/8days/s...mee-stall-forced-close-after-3-months-1937636
