Select a region
A local shop owner has been dubbed "the happiest man in Jersey" after his viral online videos racked up over 40,000 views.
Jose Pestana, the owner of corner shops Park Stores and Bay Stores, has gained tens-of-thousands of views from Facebook videos promoting his wares.
In the videos, he can be seen showcasing new products he stocks and announcing giveaways to funky music – all whilst gesturing enthusiastically with a beaming smile on his face.
The father-of-four moved from Madeira to Jersey in 1992 with his wife Maria.
Mr Pestana originally worked on a farm picking Jersey Royals and flowers before buying his first shop, Bay Stores on St Aubin's Road, 14 years ago.
He acquired a second location at Howard Davis over six years ago, but noticed the lack of customers and wanted to entice more business.
Asking his suppliers to sell him what items were most popular at first, Mr Pestana did not see too much difference in footfall.
One supplier, Jim, mentioned the idea of filming and the shop owner thought he had nothing to lose.
Mr Pestana said: “I thought 'What am I going to do to get more customers?' And [Jim] said I should try films.
“I said I don’t mind; I just want customers!”
Each week – with Jim’s camera work and slogan suggestions – Mr Pestana will post up to two videos on his shop’s Facebook account which has gained him notoriety online.
His most popular post on the Bay Stores and Park Stores page reached 40k views in a couple of weeks.
Members of the public are quick to praise Mr Pestana in the comments, which read: “Love this guy!!”, “Legend”, and “What a character".
Mr Pestana expressed how it can be tough running a small corner shop, with larger supermarkets taking up most of his customers.
He explained that the lingering effects of Brexit and the cost-of-living crisis are making less customers willing to spare that extra cash buying from a corner shop.
“Everyone tends to go to the big supermarkets because it’s cheaper," said Mr Pestana.
“When people come to me, they tend to buy less because they’re scared to spend money."
When asked how he keeps that beaming smile which has made his videos so iconic, he said: “Doing the videos makes me happy.”
Since sharing his stock online, Mr Pestana has noticed a slight increase in customers – with some even coming to the island specifically to see him.
With high prices not looking to budge much in the near future, Mr Pestana plans to keep posting videos to get his customer’s attention.
He encouraged other small shop owners to do the same if they are struggling for business.
“Maybe we could all be friends and [make videos] together!" said Mr Pestana.
Comments
Comments on this story express the views of the commentator only, not Bailiwick Publishing. We are unable to guarantee the accuracy of any of those comments.