Seventy-two-year-old Charlie Ah Fook has a legacy to protect through the market stall that he has operated in front of his house at Faatoia for over 30 years.

He and his family have kept the market stall running to this day selling fruits and vegetables to customers or motorists passing through the Vaimauga district. 

In an interview with the Samoa Observer on Thursday, he said his market operation has never let him and his family down, generating much-needed income over the years. 

“This vegetable and goods stall has been standing for quite some time now. I built this when I was half my age now so over 30 years have passed and my children and grandchildren have grown up and lived a happy life based on income from this stall," Mr. Ah Fook said. 

“The wage back in the day was good. However, I continued to maintain it today as it has generated income for me and my family each week. Some five to eight years ago, this vegetable stall was making over  SAT$1,000 to SAT$2,000 every Saturday evening and Sunday morning.”

Mr. Ah Fook said when he started his market stall he also used to sell fish as he was a swimmer and a good fisherman back in those days.

“My family ate from the soil and the sea every day 10 years ago but as of now we depend on money for this expensive food.”

Over the years, his sons and daughters all played a part in running the market stall during their childhood days, and they are now living overseas. 

Recalling the decades that have gone past, Mr. Ah Fook said his market stall is now the oldest in the area and he is proud of the service that it has provided the community.  

“It has been a few decades past, new markets and new stalls have been set up. I am proud that my vegetable stall is the oldest," he told this newspaper.

The change in the weather in Samoa, exacerbated by climate change, has also had its challenges on the market stall, according to the local businessman.

“Climate change has changed and has made the soil become infertile. Many of my plants and crops were ruined due to the changes in the climate," he said. 

Currently, the only market stall in Fa’atoia village, Mr. Ah Fook said it stays open 24 hours a day and seven days a week with a small percentage of their daily takings going to the church. 

“Through the years and big changes around Samoa, I am glad my stall is still standing and existing. It has gone slower, but that never made me give up on the business."

A staunch believer in farming and working the land, Mr. Ah Fook is keen to get the young population to appreciate farming and know the benefits of growing crops. He urged the youth to take up farming and not give up on traditional subsistence living.   

“You are still young, so why give up now?”