Long Ago, at Brewster Road…
…there was this corner shop (see picture below).
Your task for today: tell us a little more about this shop. Is it still there? Perhaps it’s been turned into something else?
There also seems to be a tiny booth just outside the shop. I wonder what the booth was for…..
The shop is not there anymore. That little booth was used to sell lottery tickets back then.
Nice to see the place where I lived again. It was just the other corner of the shops lot. The small booth was selling lottery tickets. I remembered the shop Sett sell shampoo and many hair materials e.g. combs, brushes, shampoo, hair dye etc. By the side of the wall in the evening there was a hawker selling curry or soup noodles with fish balls, “fu pei” etc. It is very nice just walking over there to have a bowl of noodle. We used to eat and spend our time in the evening talking and gathering there.
Behind the shops is a narrow tarred back lane where the neighbor kids gather to play. We played games like eagle catching the chickens, “kok kuan” hopscoth etc.
It is a very enjoyable childhood I had living in this shop house long ago.
Thanks for the photos.
Hi Katherine. thanks for sharing your memories with us
you must have lived nearby…since the places you mentioned were within walking-distance. any idea if Sett is still there?
The scene could have been during the 50s. I am trying to identify the makes of the three cars. The middle car could be an Austin and the black car, Morris Minor.
Wasn’t that a scooter parked next to the car in the middle? Also noteworthy is the prolific use of the Mandarin characters on the signboards and pillars , Bahasa Malaysia being conspicuously absent. These tend to bear out that the photo was more likely taken either in the very late ’50s or in the early ’60s.
Hi PT & LMS136.
thanks for giving us a rough date (late 50s / early 60s).
Joe & Katherine,
For those of us who grew up in that neck of the woods, the photo brings back wistful memories of our formative years. Other notable names in the immediate vicinity include Hollywood Barber (across from Sett, on the same side of Brewster Road), and on the other end of this same row of shop houses was Radio & General, which occupied two shop fronts. For many years, R & G was one of Ipoh’s leading dealers for Carrier Air-Conditioners and Shellane Gas. Katherine, that heavy-set lady’s curry noodles were immensely popular and on one of my trips back to Ipoh, I discovered that her daughter operates a stall in the food court across from Odeon. In addition to the curry noodle stall, there was also an elderly couple whose Char Koay Teow was quite famous. During peak hours, when the stall was really busy, they would bicker and scream at each other. I guess stress was an occupational hazard that affected hawkers even in those carefree days. The back alleys were playgrounds for many city kids in the evenings, and Katherine, ‘Liew Chai’ was also a much-loved game that was played in the back lanes. The lottery that was sold in that pondok was called the Social Welfare Lottery and such pondoks were strategically located in the intersections of many busy streets. Personal selling was also used to push lottery sales and it was a common sight to see vendors going from table to table in restaurants, promoting the game of chance to those who seek a date with lady luck.
I also remember adjacent to Sett was a general insurance agency, the Public Insurance (if I am not mistaken). It occupied 2 shoplots.
Further up is Nang Fong which still retails pianos, guitars etc. today.
Yup the back lanes was our playground then. But as soon as we caught sight (or smell) of the lorry collecting nightsoil, we children would scatter away holding our noses.
That insurance agency displayed lots of black & white photos at their shop front of vehicles involved in accidents.
That’s right, rosebud.
Next to Sett shop, there is a provision shop named Fook Onn. They sell many snacks, cup ice-cream, kismet dried raisin, milk,Milo etc. The boss gave credit to the neighbors. With the small booklet 555, we will record the date and the things we had taken and signed. By end of the month my dad will settled the credit with them in cash. We don’t have credit cards then, but the 555 small booklet is as good as credit card.
Around the lottery booth, the rickshaws men parked there waiting for passengers. When we were small, we loved to call the to take us to the cinemas. Along the block there is a Ghee Loong tailor shop, Nan Fong music shop, selling records and musical instruments, an Indian radio shop, forgotten the shop name, a shop own by an ex-councilor by the sir name of Mr Thoo.
The neighborhood children had a field days running wild and free. At the back of the narrow lanes, the children playground and Mayfair Park Hotel.
Now that we had grown, each had gone our separate ways. I still have many fond memories of the shop house where we grew up.
KWong,
Thanks. I was thinking hard the name of the tailor shop. Ghee Loong was my regular tailor in the 70s. Unfortunately, Ghee Loong didn’t last long.
From the left, the Ford Consul/Corsair, Lambretta (scooter), the Austin A40 and finally, doubt if it’s the Minor(roof is not rounded) but could be the Morris Oxford or a Hillman Minx. The Ford and the Lambretta were definately mid 60′s
If I am not mistaken, Bobby Yin Ee Keong, my classmate stayed in one of the shops in this block. His father was a town councilor. The tailor sent one of his daughters to ACS to finish her Form 5 and she was one of the two girls in my class, 5 Arts A in 1962! Can’t recall her name but the other girl was Rachel Balasingam, daughter of William Balasingam and brother of Ernest and William (JR.) Balasingam.
Hi UV,
Was the town councillor the tailor too?
When I was in school, the Sciences were generally the A classes and the Arts were the B classes. Changes since then or before?
If its the same Balasingam, Mrs. B. was my Domestic Science teacher at MGS then.
To much water under the bridge … Thank You ipohWorld for this site to share the memories … good and/or bad but mainly educational not necessarily academically.
Hi UV. so you know Rachel too? wow…small world! she and my mum and aunts were childhood friends
The photos of the bygone years interest many in Ipohworld. Please post more pictures
Hi PT,
We do try very hard to keep the old photos coming but it is not very easy to get them. If anyone out there cares to send us some via info@ipohworld.org we will put them up on this blog.
There are many photos of the past hanging in the premises of associations and guilds formed by the Chinese clans during the last century.
Along the same row of shops was one selling records, “Triumphant”.
Used to buy from them in the late 50′s.
one of Ghee Loong tailor grandson is my schoolmate. Ghee Loong was close becoz of the shop owner wants the shop back. and Mr Too staying next door is not an ex- councilor in fact he is our 1st Deputy Minister of Education for Malaya.
I have been to this shop many times as my mother used to take me there to shop for hair dressing products. She is a hair dresser operating a shop located at Jalan Foo Yet Kai behind Cathay cinema. The name is Kim Ying Hairdressing Saloon named after her (Cheah Kim Ying). She has passed on almost 8 years now. Datin Janet Yeoh used to visit her saloon and that was when I happen to know Michelle Yeoh as both of them used to frequent the dress maker a floor below my mum’s saloon.
Hi Son of Ipoh. it must have been great to have a celebrity visit your mother’s saloon!
Felicia, Rachael and I were classmates as I said in Form 5 Arts A. May I know who your mum is? Thanks.
Hi UV. my mum is Agnes, she used to teach at SMI (where the students refered to her as Puan Alex)
who knows, maybe WE have met before….hahahaha…..
The contributors to Ipohworld are either pseudonymous or
anonymous. Unknowingly, we could be colleagues or neighbours. It will be hilarious if one day we identify ourselves.
Yes, ex-Ipohan, Mrs Balasingam was a ex-MGS teacher. Sadly Mr & Mrs Balasingam passed away either last year or 2009.
Felicia, may I ask your Mum’s maiden name? I was taught in SMI by a teacher called Miss Agnes Thavarajah.
Thunderchild, you got my mum’s name right! lol…..fancy meeting one of her former students on this blog
Felicia,
I remember your mum with much fondness – a strict but fair teacher. She was my class teacher from std 4 – std 6, in the early 70′s. She was also the leader of extra-curricular activity group called the Valiant Vanguards, of which I was briefly a member. Please pass my regards and appreciation on to her.
Hi Thunderchild…..i wonder if this was your nickname back in school?
i will gladly pass the message to my mum.
felicia,
Thunderchild wasn’t my nickname back then, if anything it was more likely “naughtychild” LOL. My name back then was Ooi Khay Shen but I wouldn’t expect your mum to remember me as she would have taught hundreds, if not thousands, of pupils in her career. Anyway, please pass on my appreciation for her persistence in trying to get me educated. Tell her it has worked, after a fashion.
will do Thunderchild….some how she seems to have a knack for remembering names….and if you were a ‘naughtychild’, i’m SURE she will remember your name….hahahaha…
If one goes down the road, just after Cowan Street, the first corner shop was a provision shop that sells imported canned foods, ice cream, etc and the next shop is the famour ZLIN shoe shop which was famous for selling imported brands like Clarks, Salamender and Barracks. The owners of the first shop migrated to Australia to live with their son after retiring. Does anyone remember these shops?
NSHoe, I remember. I also remember buying a pair of boots from ZLIN in the late 70s or early 80s. Next to ZLIN was BEE LOH which sold an array of quality cameras, binoculars and camera accessories. At that time, if one wanted to buy a good camera, look no further than BEE LOH.
Hi Sake Hoe,
The names of these shops are still very familiar to me – not because I was a consumer in those days (no money at all to buy those goods) nor a window shopper (not within means hence no interest) but because I used to pass by these shops very often.
I did wonder even in those days about the owners / operators of those shops. Obviously, other than being enterprising they did require to have quite a bit of financial resources to stock up and to hold stocks for a duration, considering that the Ipoh market was not that big then.
What aspirations did they have beyond their shop business? But all in all, they were likely to have the means to send their sons and daughters for overseas tertiary education.
The owners of these shops were very typical Chinese, being very thrifty and frugal, saving up as much money as possible so that their children can have a good education. Their children, if they were capable enough, would probably be sent for tertiary education. Once their children graduate and get decent jobs, the economic situation of the whole family will be greatly improved. You probably have heard so many such stories in Ipoh where the shopkeepers/coffee shop operaters have children who are now doctors, engineers, etc. Some of these operators, in spite of their children trying to convince them to stop working, still continue to do so, even though they are in their seventies.
HiFelicia,
I attended the main conventat at the same time as your Mom. I also attended Teachers’ College in Alor Star, with your Mom. Does she have an email address? If she does not have one is there there any other way I can contact her? Please let me know.
Blessings.
Clare
dear all,
im currently taking my final year architecture course in University of Malaya. As far as my thesis in History of Architecture is concerned, I find some of your comments here worth recording, and should be, for the sake of Ipoh’s unheard voices and memories.
My study scope covers Brewster Road, Main Convent as well as St. Michael Church, and particularly how the Chinese community along the road and their culture and education affect the architectural development of the road.
Personally, i find the 38th comment from Ng Sake Hoe interesting, and would like to ask for permission to quote it in my report. It will be recorded as a local’s perspective, to support what i’ve observed, as an Ipohan myself. I’m not sure you are seeing this, but if you do, please contact me through yokehaw_lan@hotmail.com. i would really love to know more about the history of my hometown if you are willing to share with me.
I also sincerely welcome any extra sharing about these topics from you seniors that have such affection towards Ipoh. Im truly touched.
ps: dear Ian, i hope im permitted to do so. thanks in advance.
Yokehaw Lai, As far as I am concerned and as you know from previous correspondence between us, the ipohWorld objective is based on assisting with education. Consequently it is my view that anything written on the blog is for all to see and therefore as long as the author is given credit for the remarks thare can be no harm in using them.
I shall be interested to hear what others think.
Incidentally there are some interesting pieces about Brewster Road in our book.
hi Ian pardon my late feedback. im currently in Ipoh now, and would like to have a copy of that book. should i go over, or should i let you post the book to me?
Yokehaw, I have sent you an email with my phone number. If you call me we can arrange for you to pick the book up from me.
Re the cars in the photo (PT, #4; Mano, #14), the one in the middle is an Austin A40, first available locally in early 1959; the other two cannot be identified at this resolution.
Re Radio & General (Ken Chan, #7), the firm was started in the mid-30s by Ipoh badminton ace Tan Cheng Phor, who spent so much time developing the business that he had to give up competing in his beloved sport at the peak of his ability. (What better time to quit a sport, one might ask.)
Re the Zlin shoe shop (Ng Sake Hoe, #35), the name always made us smile because Zlin is the Czech town where the Bata shoe company was born …
Zlin’s owners son (can’t remember his name, unfortunately) was my classmate in Anderson School 1972-1973.
Well, whaddya know! Used to wonder how the heck they got a name like that! Thanks Cervantes!
Hi Ika
Be generous n post pictures with higher resolution for goodness sake
Hi Tinspoon, We do post pictures at higher resolution when we think it is necesary to see the details like faces etc. Of course, no matter what we do with some their quality is simply not good enough to be any larger. This particular picture is one of these. But there is one other thing you must remember. We buy many of these photographs and put them up without any income. Consequently we lose money every day. That would not be so bad, but when I find that our pictures have been copied and either found their way to another website without any acknowledgement of where they came from – or worse still used commercially for companies to make profit then I get saddened by the lack of fairness displayed by some people.
There is an option we have always discarded as we want our readers to enjoy the original photos. We could put our logo right across the picture in several places like most other people do. Perhaps our readers would like to let me know their feelings on this.
I have to conclude by saying that I believe our sponsors are already very generous by allowing us to spend RM thousands every year. Without their goodwill there would not be an ipohWorld.
I believe there are better ( and genteel as well) ways to voice a suggestion. And that always work wonders. Ipohworld and Ika are doing Ipohites a wondrous favour despite facing certain limitations.
These photographs are taken a long time ago with old technology hence they are not sharp. Scanning them and posting them in higher resolution is futile.
Anyway, I do not think ika has been selfish otherwise he wouldn’t be sharing these priceless photos here with us.
I share Tinspoon’s frustration: it is difficult to enrich the discussion by commenting on photographs if one cannot make out what is in them. Worse, this frustration increases with age (of the photograph and of the viewer).
On the other hand, for some of us, having any access at all to some of these photographs is … a miracle — so thank you very much, Ipohworld and company.