PETALING JAYA: Petaling Street is bustling once more with Chinese New Year shoppers after a quiet celebration last year.

       From observation, there was a reasonable number of visitors despite it being a Monday afternoon.

       Stores were already displaying lanterns and ornaments for Chinese New Year, along with items related to the Chinese zodiac tiger.

       Traders selling clothing, bags and accessories were also seen along the stretch of road.

       A shopper, who only wanted to be known as Julianne, said she and her sister were in the area to shop for decorations for the festivities.

       “It has been about 20 years since I last visited the area and everything looks different now.

       “It’s exciting to see the cultural and festive elements of Chinese New Year celebrations despite society becoming progressively modernised,” said the freelancer from Setia Alam.

       She added that she was looking forward to this year’s celebration with her family following a toned-down one previously.

       Retailers were also optimistic about their businesses doing well this year following the slow pace of last year.

       Janice Yee, who works at a decorative items store, said business has become better with customers from across Malaysia making purchases.“The number of buyers has improved, especially on the weekends, with customers coming from as far as Penang, Kedah and Johor to make purchases to usher in the new year.

       “As we get closer to the festive season, I expect business to pick up with the influx of visitors in the area,” added Yee.

       Confectioner Rachel Koi, 39, also said business was much better now compared to the previous year.

       “Last year, we relied mostly on online sales for our cookies as there were travel restrictions in place.

       “With more relaxations this year, we have had a very good response from the public for our cookies, both online and in-store,” she said.

       Koi added that the response was so good they were finding it hard to keep up with orders from customers.

       Chinese New Year will fall on Feb 1 this year, with the upcoming zodiac year being that of the tiger.