One of the new popular places for shopping in Petaling Jaya is the Starling Mall bazaar and market, which has gained popularity over the last few months since opening.
This lifestyle indoor bazaar is located in Damansara Utama and started in mid-2017, where it now offers from 30 to 50 vendors at any one time.
Before you read on, please note that I am NOT the organizer of the bazaar here.
Starling Mall Bazaar and Market
Bazaars and flea markets are nothing new in the Klang Valley, with so many available at most popular shopping malls.
One of the main reasons for having them in the malls is the weather, and people want an all-in-one experience when they go out during weekends.
Currently, the Starling Mall bazaar and market is the latest of them all and is attracting quite a good crowd, where vendors are rushing to get slots here. Again, not everyone will be lucky enough to secure a spot.
Various bazaar organizers have organised the Starling Mall bazaar and market, and to date, three organizers have successfully managed several bazaars since 2017.
The bazaar is found on the ground floor of the mall and usually quite large, with 30 to 50 vendors at any one time, and depending on who is the organizer.
During festive seasons, the Starling bazaar takes place regularly almost every weekend, unless there is a major event happening on the ground floor of the shopping mall.
For those interested in participating in the Starling Bazaar, you should always be careful with who the organizer is. This is because there have been cases where organizers collect a full monthly payment and then disappears.
Now the management of the mall is extremely cautious on who they contract the bazaar for the event. In late December or early January, one of the rogue organizers had created several vendors by promising them slots at a later date in 2018.
Many vendors booked and paid in full, and the organizer just vanished with no contact whatsoever. This shows that even at bazaars and flea markets, you need to be extra careful nowadays.
What Kind of Vendors Sell At The Starling Mall Bazaar?
Usually, you will find vendors selling all kinds of everything at the bazaar or market here. The organizer observes a good mixture of vendors; hence, you will not see too many repeats of the same type of items sold.
Clothes tend to make up the bulk of vendors here, and usually, it ranges from children’s clothes to trendy lifestyle fashion apparels.
Men’s clothes are uncommon, but once in a way, you may come across a vendor or two selling them.
Accessories and jewellery are also a prevalent trend, and you can find almost all kinds of knick-knacks for sale.
While most vendors tend to carry ready items from China, Thailand, or Korea, a few vendors actually sell pure handmade jewellery and accessories at Starling Bazaar.
We want to highlight this as many vendors cleverly mix ready-made China accessories with some handmade item and pass it all off as handmade.
Smart consumers can differentiate the real handmade items from the mass-produced items.
Essential oils and handmade soaps are also getting popular with today’s consumer lifestyle. On average, you can find up to three of four vendors selling these items, with their own brand names.
Most of them claim that the oils or material are imported, but in reality, there is a local supplier of raw essential oils in Malaysia where you can buy them to mix your own blends.
Other vendors sell various niche items like terrariums, mini home decorations, toys, collectables, and many other items. While this is totally different from the Publika Bazaar, you may see a few regular faces here.
Food and snacks are also popular but do not expect to find your pasar Malam items on sale. Usually, you will see more healthy and organic products for sale.
But from a Petaling Jaya point of view, this is quite hard to sell to the locals. However, there is still a small market for these products.
How Much Is It To Participate At The Starling Mall Bazaar?
Many people are asking how much it does cost to participate at the Staling Mall Bazaar. We are not the organizer, but it averages around RM200 a day, which means it can be around RM600 for three days.
To inquire further, we suggest you contact the bazaar organizer and not us, as we only provide general information on bazaars in Malaysia.
Again we want to stress to those who do not read that we are not the organizer; therefore, you can contact the shopping mall for more information.
Conclusion
We also have a list of bazaars at shopping malls in Petaling Jaya and Kuala Lumpur for anyone interested in knowing where they are located. Some bazaars or flea markets are done every week, while others are once a month.
The next time you want to experience something different, you can head over to Damansara Utama and check out the Starling mall bazaar and market on weekends.
They operate from 10.00 am to 10.00 pm, and the Starling Bazaar is located on the main ground floor of the mall.
