I’ve talked a lot about street hawkers mostly selling food out of carts. But there are many other types of street vendors who have carved out small enterprises in nooks and crannies on the streets of Bangkok.
One of these businesses is not far from my apartment. There, in a tiny space off the sidewalk, is a tailor shop. You can bring clothes to be repaired and the lady manning the sewing machine will take care of you. This shop has been around for years.
I’ve always wondered how she powers her sewing machine. It’s either wired in somewhere, or it’s foot powered. It’s probably the latter. Also, I wonder if she needs a permit. She has been there for so long that perhaps she has one. Or, if she doesn’t, maybe the police don’t care.
When she’s not around, everything gets covered up so that rain or dirt doesn’t get in. (the last slide) Amazingly enough, no one, as far as I know, has vandalized or stolen stuff from this sidewalk shop. Like I said, she has been around for years in the same spot sewing away and taking care of neighbourhood clothing repair needs. So, I guess the folks in this neighbourhood respect her stuff.
One of the charms of Bangkok are these little sidewalk shops, not only selling food, but also providing people with other types of services that they might need, like this friendly neighbourhood tailor shop.
This is a marvellous post. i love these little stories. Wish we good sit and hear her stories from her side of the sewing machine.
These are my favourite stories too. They show the Bangkok I like best. I bet she has many stories about the life on the street and in this neighbourhood that would be interesting to listen to. If only I spoke Thai!