A 73-year-old proprietor closes his family’s 183-year-old umbrella repair shop in Hong Kong, marking the end of an era for a cherished community business
HONG KONG: Scores of residents flocked to a cramped shop to bid farewell to the city’s “king of umbrellas”, who is retiring after decades repairing umbrellas.
Proprietor Yau Yiu-wai, 73, announced the closure of his 183-year-old family business, the Sun Rise Company, at year’s end.
The family-run shop has been passed down through five generations but is ceasing operations due to shifting consumer habits and Yau’s advancing age.
“We’ve upheld our family’s reputation, and this legacy has come down to me… It truly pains me to end it,” Yau said. “I’m sorry to my ancestors.”
Established in 1842 during the Qing Dynasty in Guangzhou, the shop relocated to Hong Kong after enduring wartime turmoil.
It eventually found its place amid the bustling vendors in the Sham Shui Po district.
“(Today’s) wheel of time rolled over me and crushed me beneath its weight,” Yau added.
News of the closure spread across social media, with one user calling it “another loss of a wonderful community business”.
Student Niki Lum, 20, said Yau genuinely cared about selling customers a good, practical umbrella.
“I could tell he put his heart into running this shop,” she told AFP.
Resident Peter Tam, 60, said witnessing the disappearance of such classic shops felt like the end of an era.
“It’s such a pity… These are all pieces of history,” he said. “And we ourselves are becoming history too.”
While most retailers rely on customers replacing damaged items, Yau said he aimed for durability.
“This is for environmental protection. It’s a social responsibility,” he explained.
His customers included couples hoping to mend their relationships and married couples who used umbrellas as tokens of affection.
Yau said fewer than five repairmen like him remain in Hong Kong practising this “barely profitable” trade.
He added that he has no choice but to end the service he took pride in, citing his age and a past stroke.
“I’m getting old. You have to forgive me, I just can’t carry on any more,” Yau said.
“The most important thing for you is to stay smart… and learn to be eco-friendly,” he added.
