Beginning in May, clothing merchant Jessica Yang, who is Chinese, decided to
Beginning in May, clothing merchant Jessica Yang, who is Chinese, decided to team up with Perciual Longmore, who is not, so she could sell her goods at his vendor’s stall on Main Street in Flushing. Since Yang had a lot of merchandise in her warehouse, her initial thought was to consign some of it to Longmore to sell.
At first, she gave him 800 scarves and also gave up two hours of her own time each day to help sell them. All 800 were snatched up in less than a month during the off-season, when scarves are sold cheaply, Yang said. She earned $1,600.
“Since business is good, this month I’m going to give him another 500 items to sell,” she said of Longmore, who has two helpers who speak Chinese.
On the streets of Flushing’s business district, where Chinese often gather, merchants of all ethnicities come together to sell their goods. Some, who originally operated their own independent businesses, have now joined forces with others from different ethnic backgrounds. Non-Chinese merchants also learn a few sentences of authentic-sounding Mandarin to hawk their wares.
In their own words, the premise behind working together is simple: mutual trust. The advantage, they add, is being able to learn one another’s language and culture. For both East and West, this type of partnership is a “win-win.”
Longmore, an injured war veteran, said he holds a handicap placard and has received government benefits ever since retiring from the military in 1971. A few years ago, he started a small business and made friends with some Chinese, he said. Although Longmore lives in Manhattan, he decided to open his business in culturally diverse Flushing. Setting up shop in Flushing, where many Chinese live, has also let him learn some basic Chinese.
“Sunglasses, scarves – Cheap! Three dollars!” Longmore shouts in nearly standard Mandarin.
Discussing why he decided to partner up with a Chinese merchant, Longmore said that trust is the chief premise behind establishing a collaborative relationship. The biggest advantage, he added, is that each partner can learn the language and culture of the other.
Offering an example, Longmore said he learned the basic Mandarin he speaks from Yang and the Chinese customers whom he encounters each day. By the same token, they also want to learn some English, he added.
With the arrival of summer, Longmore began selling traditional Chinese folding fans, he said, an idea he thought of only after Yang made the recommendation. After all, Longmore added, she understands the needs of the Chinese community much more than he does.
Hearing this, Yang gave Longmore a thumbs-up, praising him as a hard worker.
This East-West duo has garnered interest from more and more Chinese customers. One Chinese woman, surnamed Zhao, who stood in front of the stall to select a pair of sunglasses, said, “I can’t speak English, but since Yang is there, I don’t have to worry that I won’t understand.”
Another warmhearted Chinese woman, surnamed Zheng, who has lived in Flushing for many years, explained that when the U.S. economy was bad a few years ago, small-scale merchants who gathered in Asian communities were still able to stand out among the crowd. Nowadays, she added, many non-Chinese merchants have noticed this and have set their business sights on Flushing, home to many Chinese.
City Councilman Peter Koo said he believes that small-scale merchants possess business foresight by setting up partnerships with different ethnicities. In addition, he said, the city government looks after its military veterans and helps them find jobs and solve problems. Among these veterans, some have licenses to do business, Koo said.
Peter Du, secretary general of the Chinese Chamber of Congress, reminded small-scale merchants not to neglect legal procedures when setting up their partnerships. Further, Du emphasized the importance of drawing up a contract before going into business together.
By Yingshu Sun via The China Press
Translated by Chris Fuchs from Chinese