Singapore, January 10, 2010
VEGETABLES
Who: Mr Koh Thiam Lee, 45, and Ms Sharon Lim, 37 (above)
What: Joo Seng Vegetable Supplier
Where: Shunfu Mart, Block 320, Shunfu Road, 01-38, open: 6am to 1pm (Tuesdays to Sundays), closed on Mondays
Listening to their customers has paid off handsomely for this husband-and-wife team of vegetable sellers.
Since the couple started selling more unusual vegetables such as white asparagus and organic produce about five years ago, their store’s business has grown, drawing shoppers from as far as Marine Parade.
Ms Lim says: “Many of our customers are working professionals who are into healthy eating and know a lot about fruits and vegetables. They had asked for vegetables that I never knew about before, such as celeriac, so I thought it was a good idea to offer something different.”
Celeriac is a kind of celery with an aromatic and edible turnip-like root. The couple, who have three teenage children, however, had a tough time convincing Mr Koh’s father, who set up the store more than 30 years ago, to change with the times.
Mr Koh, who has been working at the store since he was 16, says: “My father did not like the idea of selling these unusual vegetables and he did not think our customers would buy them. But he has since changed his mind about it.”
Indeed, they have customers, many of them HDB heartlanders, who have been persuaded to try yellow zucchini and green cauliflower.
The stall also sells organic fruit juices and organic dry goods such as brown rice.
Ms Lim goes online to keep abreast of food trends and ask her suppliers for new produce to offer customers.
Ms Veronica Tan, 52, co-founder of the fine-dining Chinese restaurant chain Peach Garden who buys vegetables from the store for her family’s meals, says: “I go to them because I know they are popular and their stock moves quickly, so their vegetables are always fresh.”'
Who: Kenny Chua (above), 37
What: Vegetable and fruit stall (no name)
Where: Ghim Moh Market, 01-161/162/166/167, Block 20 Ghim Moh Road, open: midnight to 2.30pm (Tuesdays to Sundays), closed on Mondays
Mr Chua’s stall takes up four units at the market and stocks a wide variety of fruit and vegetables, ranging from juicy pineapples to fresh herbs to mushrooms, asparagus and leafy vegetables.
You can also head here to pick up salad greens such as mesclun, baby spinach and arugula, which he usually brings in on weekends.
He has been running the stall for 19 years.
He says: “My parents used to have a vegetable stall in the Pasir Panjang Wholesale Centre, so I grew up around vegetables and salad greens, and that is how I learnt all about it.”
Mr Anthony Yeoh, part of the Funky Chef duo who plan dinner parties and cook in homes, likes the stall for its wide variety of greens.
Good service is also a draw.
He says: “The people are always friendly and the service is very good.”
He also praises the stall’s cashier system, which prints out itemised receipts for customers.
“It’s very modern and efficient, and is quite similar to a supermarket’s system, as they can process customers quickly.”
Guide to the best stalls:
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| Guide to the best stalls: Meat |
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| Guide to the best stalls: Tofu & Noodles |
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| Guide to the best stalls: Fish |
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| Guide to the best stalls: Spices |
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| Guide to the best stalls: Eggs |
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