German YouTuber Visits Deserted Jonker Walk In Melaka & Buys 1 Item From Every Stall
"I thought I would like to give them some business. Maybe some hope as well."
By May Vin Ang — 24 Nov 2020, 06:46 PM
A German YouTuber's kind gesture has touched the hearts of Malaysian netizens after he made an effort to support the small businesses still open along Melaka's popular tourist spot, Jonker Walk
Ken Döscher, the German traveller from YouTube channel Ken Abroad, shared a video of himself buying one item from every stall at the weekend night market after he saw how quiet and deserted it had become.
"It's a little bit sad to see that almost no shops are open," Döscher remarked as he looked around the night market on Saturday evening, 21 November.
He had actually visited the market when it was still bustling during his first visit to Melaka before the Movement Control Order (MCO) was implemented in March.
Seeing the stark difference, he said, "I thought I would like to give them some business. Maybe some hope as well."
As he walked down the street buying something from each of the vendors, he asked them why they stayed open despite having little to no tourists or customers around
"The show have to go on. Some try to open stall, try to survive, try to do business," answered a vendor selling sunglasses.
When asked how the market was doing, a dried squid seller replied, "Yesterday ah? I think less than fifty people. All night. Whole night."
The same seller also told Döscher that some vendors opened their stalls because they had already paid their rent in advance until December, and many had actually already downsized and let go their workers because they could not afford to pay them.
When news of Döscher purchasing one item from every stall went down the street, many thanked him for the small gesture
"Thank you. You are very kind," said a grateful mobile accessories seller when she heard what he was doing.
In the video, another stall owner could be heard shouting teasingly across the street, "Eh, you didn't support me!" to which Döscher apologised for overlooking and said he would quickly go right over to get something.
Throughout the video, Döscher also repeatedly wished the stall owners, "Good luck with your business" after his purchases.
At the end, the YouTuber, who has been living in Malaysia for over eight months now due to the pandemic, said he hoped that his video may encourage someone else to do the same
"Maybe I can spread some positive vibes through this video and encourage people to support the local businesses instead of, for example, buying food from the big chains," he explained.
"It's always better to support the local stalls, the local businesses, that is the purpose of this video," said Döscher, who has continued to share his adventures in the country on his channel.
