Decades-old shops hopeful as business slowly picks up

Phang repairing a watch at his shop in Jalan Trus, Johor Baru.

SHOPOWNERS in downtown Johor Baru are hoping business will improve when Malaysia moves into the Covid-19 endemic phase by the end of October.

Most of the shops here have been around for decades, including the century-old Hiap Joo Bakery & Biscuit Factory, famous for its banana cakes baked in a coal-fired oven, that are popular with locals and Singaporeans.

Lim hopes business will be in full swing once the border between Malaysia and Singapore reopens.