Superstitious locals shut the door on Aberdeen hand-me-down furniture business

A store selling second-hand furniture must be a financial certainty in these times of increasing environmental concern.

Alas, this has not been the experience of Ex-Furniture at The Perfectech Centre in Wong Chuk Hang Road, Aberdeen, which will close on September 20 after five years in business.

So was the store a victim of Hong Kong's economic success, with people more prepared to splash out on new furnishings rather than resort to hand-me-downs?

Not at all, according to part-owner Isabella Lau, who attributes the closure to superstition. 'It's a very niche market, what we do,' she says. 'The local Chinese are not interested in anything second-hand because they are superstitious.'

Ms Lau says regulars love the store and will be sad to see it go: 'We made friends with a lot of our customers and it's been great.'

Bargain hunters may be tempted to put aside their superstitions for a short time as the store is offering 50 per cent off everything until they close.