Old-fashioned Hong Kong barber shop sees new interest as eviction looms
Establishment wedged in alleyway for 55 years in deadlocked negotiation with its landlord and the government
An old-fashioned barber shop emerges from a narrow alleyway of Spring Garden Lane in Wan Chai.
The shop is part of the alleyway, comprising a roof, a long mirror and three chairs. While the barber does his trimming and cutting, pedestrians nonchalantly walk past.
Day in and day out, Oi Kwan Barber’s has remained unchanged since it first opened in 1962, although in recent years the number of customers had been slowly dwindling amid the emergence of countless “five-minute cut” shops.
But as the new year arrived, a number of unfamiliar faces suddenly started to peek in at the unassuming premises.
“Many people come to ask if we’re closing soon and some take photos,” said Mark Lau Ka-shing, the shop’s second-generation owner. “Many look somewhat relieved when I tell them we’re not moving yet.”