SINGAPORE: As high rental fees at the Geylang Serai Bazaar made headlines last month, one family who has set up a stall at the market has won hearts.
Owned by 65-year-old Mr Raj Govin, “Mr Wadeh” has been a family-run stall selling prawn vadai since 2002. Mr Wadeh sells the cheapest vadai across the Geylang Serai market, with one piece of prawn vadai selling for just $1.
He is insistent on sticking to their low prices out of love for their loyal customers and because he sees his business as a form of giving back to society during the Hari Raya period. But skyrocketing costs have put a strain on the family, and they are now absorbing the costs to serve their regulars instead of turning a profit.
Aside from having to fork out a whopping $16,000 just for rent, Mr Raj’s children revealed on Facebook recently that they pay $3,500 for other costs like electricity, use of the fan, wash basin and showcase, bringing their monthly operating costs to almost $20,000. This means they must sell almost 20,000 pieces of prawn vadai to break even.
But despite the high costs, Mr Raj will not raise his prices. His children previously said on social media, “My parents always say, ‘Hari Raya is giving back to the society and we shouldn’t sell expensive.’”
This year, there is an especially heartbreaking reason why Mr Raj has decided to set up the stall despite the hefty costs.
Mr Raj’s wife, who had been his partner in the business for many years, passed away six months ago. Despite this immense loss, Mr Raj continues to set up his stall to honour his wife’s desire to give back to the community and spread joy during Hari Raya.
He told Yahoo Singapore, “My wife’s desire was not to make money during Hari Raya but to give back something. That’s why we bear the cost. We absorb a lot of the cost, and we sell the cheapest in the bazaar at $1 per piece because it wouldn’t be right to burden our customers with higher prices.”
He added, “We also want to cater to those who may be less fortunate and find it expensive, but we aim to make everyone happy once a year. That was my wife’s desire. Even though my wife passed away six months ago, we continue to do it. We want to make everyone happy.”
For Mr Raj and his children, selling their vadai at Geylang Serai during Hari Raya has become a tradition, or as he puts it, “a pilgrimage.” His unwavering dedication to his customers and his passion for his vadai have earned him a loyal following, spanning generations across the two decades he has run Mr Wadeh.
He said, “The child came with the mother and bought from us in 2002, then the daughter became a mother, and she brought her child and came. Now the whole family comes around and buys, so we have a long following.”
As for the costs he is grappling with, Mr Raj said the $16,000 rental fee is “the highest rental price I’ve paid, but it’s still manageable. You can still find good suppliers at a reasonable price.”
He believes that by sourcing from reliable suppliers and managing costs effectively, he can maintain the quality of his food without compromising on customer satisfaction. “Especially those supplier shops with four or five shops together where you buy once, you get it cheaper,” he added.
Mr Raj is among a smaller group of stall owners that have set up shop at the Geylang Serai Bazaar this year. Due to the escalating costs, several lots at the popular night market remain vacant.
The organizers, who spent $2.5 million to set up the bazaar this year, are allowing businesses to pay a percentage of their sales after the event has ended in a bid to fill spots.
Earlier, Makansutra founder KF Seetoh publicly called out the expensive rental charges vendors have to pay and asserted that Geylang Serai Bazaar has become “easily the world’s most expensive pasar malam stall”.
The internationally recognized food guru said, “Even top pop-up markets in prime time New York or LA cannot hold a candle to this.”
He commented, “A vendor told me he is down $31k even before he opens. Rental, utilities, maintenance, set up, shelving n 4 staff to cook, wash serve, open n close up. And that 31k excludes food costs. Imagine, he has to clear 1k day just to break even…oops, I forgot taxes.”
https://theindependent.sg/stall-owners-selling-1-wadeh-say-they-pay-thousands-on-top-of-hefty-geylang-serai-bazaar-rent/