“It has been seventy years!”, Mr Mah Jun Chew (transliteration), the second generation owner of Sang Cheong Tailor, exclaims while using one hand to signal five and the other signalling two. Since young, he helps his father as well as picking up the trade of tailoring, seventy years passed in the blink of an eye.
Sang Cheong Tailor is located in a pre-war building with over a hundred years in history, situated in the old streets of “Pahang Well” (Jalan Raya East) on the south bank of Klang river. The 1940’s to 50’s was the golden era of Pahang Well, people live on the upper storey while operating businesses on the lower storey of the shophouses located on either side of the road. As of now, most of the shophouses are weather-beaten and vacant, only a handful of businesses and elderly people continue to stay at the decrepit place.
Mr Mah, who inherits the family business from his father, still lives on the upper storey of the shop, each day he opens the shop after having breakfast with his wife. Since the early days when his father established the business till now, never once relocated over the decades. At the same place, same building, doing the same thing, persevering this industry.
As times change, traditional tailoring inevitably became a struggling sunset industry, 83-year-old Mr Mah jokingly said that he is elderly and thinking of retirement. This old street which is gradually being forgotten has stood witness to an age of prosperity and deterioration.
Text: Daniel Lim & Pua Hui Wen
有你 UNI Production
Producer : Mok Yii Chek
Coordinator : Daniel Lim
Cinematographer : Amelia Lim / Evon Pang
Video Editor : Amelia Lim
Music : Junipers from Felt Music
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