KOTA KINABALU: Hajah Mariah Hj Takin’s family are great fans of songs and dramas of yesteryear and that had inspired her to open the Bintang Lagenda Cafe at 1Borneo Hypermall.
According to Hajah Mariah, she opened up her cafe business at 1Borneo a few years ago and the opening of second outlet, Boutique&Cafe Seri Bintang Lagenda, at Wisma Kosan here, simply reflects the success of her business.
She pointed out that Boutique&Cafe Seri Bintang Lagenda emphasises more on wedding packages and selling apparels and wear for Muslim women.
“Actually, I started as a wedding planner at home and when the business went well, I decided to open up a shop to enable my clients to have a look and choose for themselves the varieties of wedding packages on offer,” she said.
According to Hajah Mariah, she offered wedding packages at reasonable prices and would include packages of bridal dais, make-up, catering services, photography services and providing karaoke sets and canopies.
“At the moment, we offer a garden wedding package and the charge will depend on the requests and demands of the clients. There is a different price for a different package. So far, the cheapest package we had offered was RM30,000 and the highest was RM80,000 per package,” she said.
The former vice president of the Sabah Women’s Association (PEWASA) said she would operate night cafe in the area if the demand was good.
“We are also planning to offer steamboats at night at this cafe but that will depend on the demand. The operating hours for this boutique is from 9am until 5pm, Mondays to Saturdays,” she added.
She believes that business people have to come out with fresh and different ideas because it is a key to success. There was no need to simply follow and copy other people’s ideas.
“I think I am the first in the city to operate a cafe with a legendary theme. I hope it will be a platform to expose the younger generation to learn about veteran and legendary performers of the past,” she said.
Assistant Resource Development and Information Technology Minister Datuk Jainab Ahmad Ayid who officiated the grand opening of Boutique&Cafe Seri Bintang Lagenda yesterday, said newcomers in business should come out with new ideas if they want to succeed.
“Newcomers in business should learn from successful business personalities and seek varieties in operating their businesses. Since there are many business competitors, newcomers have to come up with new ideas.
“A consortium could be formed to carry out businesses together. They need to use their own ideas and not to copy other people’s works. Like what Hajah Mariah has done, she cooperates with other people to run her wedding package business.
She also said Bintang Lagenda Cafe and Boutique&Cafe Seri Bintang Lagenda can be an attractive outlet for tourists to enjoy Malay traditional songs, culture and food.