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| January 2000 Specialty shops Aura of traditions Photo and text by Wong Po Kwan and Wong Sze Man When people shops in modern halls, they may not notice the specialty shops surrounding the malls on small side streets. Traditional groceries, key making stalls and tea shops are difficult to find in modern shopping malls. Mnay of these traditional shops were established in the '60s. With the re-development of many of the old districts of Hong Kong, a lot of these specialty shops have had to shut down. Those specialty shops that have not yet shut down are concentrated mainly in old districts like Shek Kip Mei, Sham Shui Po and Choi Hung, although people can still found some of them in the side street of some modern districts like Causeway Bay. Some of these shops provide services that are unavailable in contemporary shops. For example, traditional groceries provide services like delivery of rice and seasonings to the neighbourhood. Although these specialty shops add a great deal of color to Hong Kong street life, with the construction of new shopping malls, such shops face an uncertain future. As new towns keep
developing, it is not known when these shops will be
elminated, but one thing is certain: They will not be
with us forever. |
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 Wooden barrel are used to keep rice at the optimal humidity. (Wong Sze Man) |
 The elderly prefer shopping at traditional shops (Wong Sze Man) |
 Key-makers opens his shop in Causeway Bay. The location ensures stable business, but the owner has to tolerate the worst air quality in Hong Kong. (Wong Sze Man) |
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