Hong Kong's Sun Nga Shing Umbrella Store, a 183-year-old family business, is closing by month's end. Fifth-generation owner Yau Yiu-wai, 73, cited unviable trade and health issues for the painful decision. The announcement has drawn crowds of nostalgic customers to the Sham Shui Po shop.
At a packed and tiny storefront in Hong Kong’s Sham Shui Po, Yau Yiu-wai busily explains the best way to open and shut umbrellas to an endless stream of interested buyers. The 73-year-old fifth-generation owner of Sun Nga Shing Umbrella Store announced earlier this week that he would close the 183-year-old family business—one of the city’s last remaining umbrella shops with repair services—by the end of this month.
Established by his ancestors in 1842 in Guangzhou during the Qing dynasty, the shop has valued craftsmanship and offered repairs. But Yau said the decision was painful. “The foundation laid by the previous generation was handed down to me, but now it’s ending with me,” Yau told the Post on Saturday. “I’m unhappy and ashamed, but my body just can’t take it any more. I need to rest.”
Many residents, including neighbours and regular patrons, flocked to the shop to say their goodbyes shortly after he posted the notice online. The closure announcement sparked a bump in nostalgia-driven sales, though the trade has become unviable amid the Covid-19 pandemic and competition from platforms like Taobao.
