Creative young entrepreneurs help revitalise ageing Sham Shui Po district

For a run-down, working-class neighbourhood, Sham Shui Po attracts more people than you'd expect because of its specialised market streets devoted to items ranging from haberdashery and cheap bric-a-brac to toys and electronics. A cool vibe was never part of its appeal. But the district has acquired a patina of hipster chic after a clutch of trendy entrepreneurs moved in over the past year.

Leading this revitalisation in the old district are designers Rex Yam Wing-cheong and Joey Ku Cho-yiu. Renting a three-storey tong lau on Nam Cheong Street, the pair have turned it into a stylish haunt called 22 Degrees North. A boutique showcasing independent designers, local and overseas, occupies the ground floor; the middle level is used for DIY workshops and wine tastings, and the top floor is rented out to pop-up stores.

They initially eyed premises in the PMQ compound in Central or on Star Street in Wan Chai, but the rents were too expensive, Yam says.

By contrast, the threshold for setting up shop in Sham Shui Po is low. Moreover, creative types come all the time to buy raw materials, including fabric, leather and accessories, so they thought it would be a good place to showcase their products, Yam says.

Yam and Ku view their venture as a cultural as well as a business enterprise, and have held jazz parties, photo exhibitions, movie nights, fashion shows and even tango workshops at the premises.

They have taken pains to retain the interior structure of the pre-war building that once housed a textiles store. The low-ceilinged first floor was originally the mezzanine level where the fabric was stored, with a gap cut into the floorboards so cloth could be rolled out easily for customers to inspect.