Former Sungei Road vendors to uproot for the second time in a year
Vendors at the Kreta Ayer Weekend Flea Market often sell secondhand goods such as old DVDs, clothes, electronics, and religious amulets. The flea market will be closed from July 2 as upgrading programmes are due to take place along Sago Lane.
SINGAPORE – For the second time in a year, some former Sungei Road flea market vendors will have to uproot and find another place to set up shop.
After the iconic Thieves Market made way for development last July, about 20 of them thought they had found a stable place to sell their wares at the Kreta Ayer Weekend Flea Market at Sago Lane in Chinatown.
But after this weekend, the Kreta Ayer flea market will itself make way for the construction of a sheltered linkway by the Land Transport Authority and the Home Improvement Programme by the Housing and Development Board.
Vendors were informed in early May by the Kreta Ayer Collectors' Society, an interest group under the Kreta Ayer Community Club.
The flea market has been operating at Sago Lane since 1999 and registered vendors pay S$100 a month, which goes towards cleaning and other services, the society told TODAY.
It consists of about 40 members, about 20 of whom were from the Thieves Market. The society took in as many vendors from Sungei Road as the Sago Lane space was able to take, it said. "This was an interim measure for them to continue plying their trade," the society said.
Former Sungei Road vendors expressed resignation at the latest news and the desire for a permanent home.
Antiques seller Oeu Lai Heng, 60, moved to Sago Lane last year. He was initially unable to secure a licence to operate but sought his Member of Parliament's help and managed to set up shop there. Business was tough in the first six months, but Mr Oeu said he has gained new and loyal customers.
Kreta Ayer flea market's closure came as a "rude shock". He said: "The announcement was very rushed – we have less than a month's time to move and clear our goods. I still haven't found a place to settle down yet."
Lamenting yet another relocation, Mr Oeu said: "The situation is simply too messy. I am suffering from gout, my income is about to be badly affected, and I will lose my clientele again."
His flea market business makes up almost half of his monthly income of around S$600 to S$800, while the remainder comes from odd jobs.
Not all vendors at Kreta Ayer flea market were registered, however, and licensed vendors and nearby shopowners disliked the mess and crowding that resulted.
"Everyone has to make a living, but those unlicensed vendors made the area extremely messy every time they appear. It is no wonder that people are unhappy with the flea market," said another former Sungei Road vendor who only wanted to be known as Mr Li, 69.
A medicinal shopkeeper who only wanted to be known as Madam Yang, 81, complained that unlicensed vendors operated in a haphazard fashion and she often had to clean up her shopfront the following Monday.
"They often block the walking paths and make it hard for residents to go up their flats", she added.
Despite the unhappiness, some shop owners were sympathetic to the vendors' plight and hoped they will find a new location to move to.
After the Thieves Market closed last year, some vendors opted for lock-up stalls at places like Chinatown Market and Golden Mile Food Centre, while others became itinerant hawkers at pasar malams (temporary night markets) across the island.
Community Facebook groups such as Save Sungei Road Market have, in recent weeks, highlighted the renewed sense of displacement felt with the closure of the Kreta Ayer flea market.
The Kreta Ayer Collectors' Society was unable to comment on whether the vendors would be able to move back to Sago Lane after the sheltered walkway and Home Improvement Programme are completed. It has received six enquiries from members but they were not for financial aid. Members who need help may approach government agencies, it said.
