December 17, 2022, 12:43 PM
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An uncle selling cute pouches and bags on the ground floor of Paya Lebar Quarter (PLQ) found himself going viral on TikTok after he was featured by a user on the platform.
Finding fame
TikTok user @genevievesjy, also known as gen, uploaded a video after buying a drawstring pouch for S$8 from the man.
He told her he only makes "a few cents" on some days, and she asked people to "come down and support him" if they could.
@genevievesjythe sanrio patches are actually really cute and only $2 each!!! pls support the uncle at PLQ level 1 if you can🥹♬ original sound - gen🍒
Her video has garnered over 135,000 views to date.
'Thankful' for her help
Mothership spoke to the uncle, who identified himself only by his surname, Cheng.
He and his wife, who are both in their 60s, man the stall daily from 10am to 10pm.
Photo by Lee Wei Lin
"Some days we pack up at about 9pm because there are no customers," Cheng explained.
He continued:
"I'm very thankful for what [gen] has done because business has improved since her video was posted online.
But we don't want to be famous.
We're just retirees trying to earn a living. We're selling things at quite an affordable price, so our profit margins are quite small."
A zippered pouch with a small iron-on patch costs S$7.
Photo by Lee Wei Lin
Will only be at PLQ till Dec. 25
Cheng shared that he will only be at PLQ until Dec. 25.
He used to operate his business at Novena, where business was "slow" on most days.
The couple is unsure if they will be operating at a new location next year.
Stocks at his current pushcart are currently running low.
"We don't want people to come down and be disappointed if they don't get what they want," he said.
"We didn't buy a lot because we weren't sure if we would have any customers."
Top photos by Lee Wei Lin
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