Get ready for Singapore! An island, a city, a state, a nation. When the nation was mocked for being a “little red dot” because you can hardly see its territory on the global map, Singaporeans took this mockery in stride and transformed the moniker into a fashionable brand name: “Little Red Dot”. One might even…
Tag: travel
Food Stamps
Many stalls at Lexington Market (Baltimore, USA) display bright signs declaring that they accept “Food Stamps” (or the “Independence Card” — visible in the earlier post with the butcher.) Misconceptions about social welfare float loosely in public conversations: who receives welfare, why they receive welfare, should they receive it, and how much. About 1 in 7 Americans…
First Steps
I like asking business owners how they got started because it usually tells a story of confronting change and uncertainty. Henry is from the Dominican Republic. When I asked him how he got started selling jewellery at the Lexington Market in Baltimore (USA), he didn’t miss a beat. “How I got started? Straight from the…
Getting Fresh
When I asked Leo whether I could take his photograph, he glared at me: “You trying to get fresh with me?! Are you getting fresh with me?” Stunned but unfazed, I looked right back at him and joked: “What? You? Never!” He broke into a wide grin, but his eyes quickly brimmed with tears. He…
Bringing home the bacon
A butcher shop at Lexington Market in Baltimore (USA) Microbusinesses typically offer a pathway of upward mobility for immigrants and, today, many stall owners at this market are Korean. Bill Devine, the owner of Faidley’s Seafood, explains the transition of vendors: “Wave after wave of new immigrants. This guy over here isn’t Krause anymore, he’s…
Underground Music
The streets can be a fierce world for buskers who are exposed to the mercy of city police. However, musicians in San Francisco can perform at train stations for free as long as they stay outside the paid zones such as the platforms and trains. You don’t need to pay any rent to use this…
Embracing serendipity, and other tips for running a retail business
“One woman, one mid-life divorce, one teenage child, one personal makeover, one day at a time, making it all work on one world wide media web, connecting all the dots.” Your curiosity can fuel a business Entering into Caravanserai is like stepping into a global village where your senses will be tantalized by the artistry…
Windows of Opportunity
Rich Trager travels around the world to take photographs for his business. Travelling to disrupt an established sense of order I really like Southeast Asia. On my last trip, I travelled to Bali, India, Nepal, Cambodia. I was also in Singapore for a day. I like the region– it’s chaotic, yet it moves at a slower…
Not all that glitters is gold…
“We are brothers!” Lahij is a small village on the Caucasus mountains in Azerbaijan, and it is one of the country’s oldest human settlements. The village is renowned for their skills with copperware, as we see in this shop. Nasir (foreground) was hard at work with his own copper art when we met him. Copper…
What do you sell, O ye merchants?
The markets offer a close and fierce intimacy with the traders who sell their wares. This 19th century poem captures the thrilling encounter with objects foreign and familiar while strolling through the colourful chaos of a bazaar. In The Bazaars of Hyderabad What do you sell, O ye merchants? Richly your wares are displayed, Turbans of crimson and silver, Tunics of…
Shopkeeper Stories 