The established stores account for a lot of the noise connected with commerce in Phnom Penh but there are a lot of pop-up stalls and shops on the streets, too, and many, many of them amplify their presence with big speakers set on the sidewalk. Pop-ups are big here, partly because so much of the economy is non-formal: people just get an idea or are hurting for money and so they start some business and start hawking on the streets wherever they can find an empty place on the sidewalk. Another reason pop-ups are so popular is the weather. There is no cold weather here so all you need is a metal frame and some kind of covering and you’ve got a shop. And then you add the speakers to let everyone know you have arrived.
