No Regrets After selling At Market for Four Decades
On a cold and wet Monday afternoon Monika Balali was found sitting cosy at Nausori Market selling her produce.
This is something she has been doing the past 42 years. She fends for herself and in the process, provide the best for her five children.
For the Nawaqabena, Naitasiri native she has her own tales of ups and downs at the market.
Mrs Balali believes the produce she prepares need to be of a high standard to bring in revenue for the business and meet her customers’ expectations.
The 61-year-old’s produce from her farm at Nawaqabena Village is her primary source of supply which is her family’s earnings.
“Leaving school at a very young age is difficult to get a job.
“I later got married, so despite all the challenges in life; myself and my husband knew we had to find a way to build our family life,” Mrs Balali said.
“It is no looking back for me now; I do not have any regrets. From selling at the market, we have managed to send our five children to school and renovated our house.
“To sell the goods, the produce is uprooted from my farm at Nawaqabena and I sell them at the Nausori market,” she said.
“I do this to support my family, especially providing for my own needs. We come to Nausori, here to the market on Mondays and we set up for selling our produce from Monday to Saturday.”
She usually hires a carrier to bring her produce from Naitasiri to Nausori.
Transport costs are factored into her prices prices for the goods before selling them in Nausori.
“I have also found other challenges that have contributed to my business. Challenges include weather conditions,” she said.
She said selling at the Nausori market was an ideal location as it was accessible to a steady stream of shoppers.
“I do like my job and what I’m doing, I get to come here, sell my produces where I meet and interact with a lot of people,” she said.
“My stall is at the entrance of the Nausori market, so no customer can miss me. because my stall is right there.”
