The write stuff: teenager takes on Hong Kongs's chain stores with his own stationery shop

People often think of teenagers as having a tendency to be impulsive buyers. But 19-year-old Jerry Siu had a different kind of impulse: to open his own business.

In September, the teenager from Hung Hom took the bold move of opening his own stationery shop without a second thought.

"I have to say the decision was impulsive. It only took three months from the beginning of planning to its operation," says Siu, a stationery fanatic.

Walking into his shop, Journalize, gives one an insight into this teenage dream. Siu vowed to do something different with the shop next to Central Library in Moreton Terrace, Causeway Bay. His goal is clear: selling the types of stationery that are not offered or that go unnoticed in the big chain stores.

"At my place people can ask about and try which stationery fits their needs most, which is an experience they can't get elsewhere," says Siu.

His passion may not be easily understood - just like the calendar on the wall by the cashier. Even in April, it shows the page for August. "I think the August picture [showing two native Americans on horseback] fits the shop more than any other picture in the calendar," Siu says.

When he became an entrepreneur, he was only 18 and had just finished secondary school. He borrowed about HK$300,000 from his parents, both salespeople, to start the shop. But soon after opening, the dream began to sour.