The two sisters, Yau Lai Ping and Yau Pik Wan, did not grow up in Kwun Tong, but if you ask the neighborhood who the best owners among all phone accessories shops in the neighborhood are, they almost unanimously agree that it is the Yau sisters. Since the two sisters have set foot in the former Yue Man Square one night 30 years ago, they have never had any intention of leaving. They have been rooting their career in Kwun Tong for a quarter of a century. Today, the former street shop has been relocated to Yue Man Lane, and continues to serve the neighborhood. The shop, “Supreme”, has been reopened for more than two months, and during the interview it has always been filled with people who not only come to buy smartphone accessories, but also come to visit the two sisters. Everyone took bags of fruits, tea eggs, drinks, desserts, etc., and chatted happily in the air-conditioned shop.
The elder sister, Lai Ping, is calm and intelligent, and she takes charge of the accounting and business strategies. The younger sister, Pik Wan, is like a “diplomat” and a “locomotive” to the shop, always cheerful and active, and she is the one who discovered Yue Man Square. “At the end of the 90s, I went to have dinner with my boyfriend and his parents in Sau Mau Ping and it ended at 12am. On a whim, I went to Yue Man Square after the gathering, and that was the first time I went there. I still remember that the Yue Man Square was hustle and bustle, even at midnight. I was so amazed and shocked by the crowd.” The shock became her motivation later, and the two sisters started to think of doing business together since then. Later, they chose to start doing telecommunication in Yue Man Square by selling cellular phones.
“There were only two of us, but we had to handle both purchasing and retailing. Luckily we always got help from the neighborhood and other stall owners, so we have survived. You know what? The cost of a cellular phone and the accessories were very expensive. Once an Italian customer came and asked if we had 300 antenna caps, which he wanted to send back to his hometown. It was a small shop, and we didn’t have enough stocks, but my sister said we must ask for help from our peers. Fortunately, we were able to gather enough goods within half a day and were able to close the deal on the same day. It was not easy to earn much in the 1990s, but we had made $9,000 from that deal just in one day. We were so happy and touched, and therefore we threw a banquet that night to thank everyone for their help.” Though closing a big deal on that day became a great memory to them, but the robbery incident was even more memorable.
“Kwun Tong is crowded, and theft often occurs. Some thieves would target the phone accessories; some would try to steal the phones. Back then, it was our father’s birthday, and we were preparing to go to the birthday banquet at night. Suddenly a young man in the shop tried to rob our money box. We couldn’t catch him because he ran too fast, so we shouted ‘robbery!’ out loud.” As soon as the word came out, Lai Ping saw four to five stall owners chasing the thief immediately, but it was too late as the thief had run onto the bus to escape. Luckily, the newspaper stall owner and a young man on the street stepped in and pulled the thief off the bus, and brought him to justice. “Although my sister didn’t go to the birthday party because she had to go to the police station to make a statement, I was very grateful for the help of other stall owners in getting our hard-earned money back.”
With the change in the telecommunications industry, the two sisters also changed from selling cellular phones to selling phone accessories; renamed the shop from “通訊靈” to “Supreme”. The shop location has been changed from the former Yue Man Square to industrial building, and finally relocated to the Yue Man Lane in April this year. No matter how things change, the people in the neighborhood can still keep their loyalty towards the two sisters. “The area has been redeveloped, and some loyal customers have moved away, but they are just like old horses who know the way back to find us.” By now, the two sisters don’t provide phone repairing service anymore, but they do help customers with their smartphone settings. The new shop at Yue Man Lane is located on the floor of the bus waiting area. People waiting for the bus there may wonder why a seemingly simple shop is always full of people chatting happily. The two sisters have stayed in Kwun Tong for so many years, you might have bumped into them somewhere before and thought their faces look familiar. Maybe this is what “familiarity” means.
Address: 1A12, L1, YM², 33 Hip Wo Street, Kwun Tong, Kowloon
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