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Lost; business from the last century

Rattan shop-3796

Mr Choo. Sang Kee Rattan Shop
Jalan Tun Perak, Kuala Lumpur 2016

When Choo’s father first arrived in Malaysia, he brought with him a knowledge of the rattan industry. The shop was established on Jalan Tun Perak. As the shop prospered, he was able to send his children to school but one thing he was insistent upon was that none of them follow him into the business.

Choo subsequently graduated from university and established his own business. Choo and his sister tried to keep the shop open for as long as they could as their father loved coming to the shop everyday, even in his advanced years. But now at 100 years old, he has become too frail for the daily visits.

Choo spoke of how he used to play on the streets around the shop as a young boy. He was particularly fond of Chinese New Year when the streets would be covered with a layer of red paper from the firecrackers.

Through the years, he has noticed a change in the demographics of people who call this part of Kuala Lumpur home. From a predominantly Chinese area, people from Bangladesh, Nepal, India, Myanmar and many other nations have moved in. He is sanguine about this change as his own father was an immigrant too.

A month after this photo was taken, Choo locked the shop for the last time, and the street lost another business from the last century.

Sang Kee Rattan Shop -3826 Sang Kee Rattan Shop -3815 Sang Kee Rattan Shop -3802 Sang Kee Rattan Shop -3795

The view from inside the shop

The view from inside the shop

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