When Singapore’s circuit breaker kicked in in April 2020, all retail stores were forced to close. While big global fashion chains like Zara, H&M and Uniqlo managed to survive the hit, small independently owned shops didn’t fare so well. Take Elsie Szto, who owns Butterflies & Marigolds. For 16 years, her shop had enjoyed brisk business from PMETs in the Central Business District (CBD). But when everyone started to work from home, footfall dropped to zero. “It’s just you and your mannequin. It’s so sad.” To keep her business alive, Elsie said goodbye to her shop and turned to livestreaming on Facebook and building a web store on Shopify. “As painful as it may be, it's not the end of the road. COVID-19 has changed the landscape of retail forever.” Elsie is one of 12 individuals CNA Insider tracked over the past year to see what the pandemic recession has cost Singaporeans, and how ordinary folks dug deep to meet the challenge - and came out tougher for it. Click to explore Surviving Recession, a CNA Insider special: https://cna.asia/survivingrecession Watch the other videos in this series: He Lost His Income, Then Sank Into Depression. Now This Exotic Dancer Is Fighting To Get Back On Track: https://youtu.be/CUd6h_8xxnI Burning Out, But Wildlife Rescuer Isn’t Giving Up: https://youtu.be/jnBIS02wRhc How A Dance Company Gets Creative To Find An Online Audience: https://youtu.be/hzSg_bqOrfg For more, SUBSCRIBE to CNA INSIDER! https://cna.asia/insideryoutubesub Follow CNA INSIDER on: Instagram: https://ift.tt/2C3sZiR Facebook: https://ift.tt/2PPEuNA Website: https://cna.asia/cnainsider
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