The only one a traditional stationery shop in Petaling Street

11/4/16

When you see the signboard of Kiat Leong Stationery & Trading, the first impression of it will be this is a new store. But if you go inside to take a look, you will discover you have been cheated. Don’t judge someone by its cover. In fact it has its own history, and it is also only a traditional stationery shop in the whole Petaling Street. Kiat Leong Stationery & Trading not only sells stationery, the shop owner, Si Tu Li Rong also provides printing New Year cards, calendars, photocopying and other diversified services.

Kindly the shop owner always hung with sweet smile on her face. Those are two reasons why my friends and I are arranged to help po po here. The main purpose is to understand the history of the store, on the other hand is to want to experience their daily life. Every time when we talk to her, it can be realized that the conversation will be interrupted by customers. It is obvious that there are a lot of customers buy their stationery at here. Po Po reveals that even though some old customers moved away from Petaling Street but they will come here to buy stationery. I think this is one of the reasons why the po po don’t want to move away from Petaling Street. Another reason is that the po po has deep feelings about this area, so she always loathe to give up here.

In fact, early Kiat Leong Stationery & Trading was opened in No. 128, but because of the matter of renewal, the po po had to move the store to No. 150. This stationery shop in Petaling Street opened more than 40 years of history, but also moved to No. 150 just more than a year. The month's rent needed here is more than ten thousand ringgit, but fortunately is borne along by the three owners. Therefore the po po can continue to operate the stationery shop here. The po po is one of the shareholders of the stationery store, the other two boss are the stationery shop upstairs Western-style food shop owner and others is the owner of toy store (Actually the toy store is a bar, and just opens in the evening). The po po does not hire any labur. All menial work has been burden by themselves, and sometimes their children will come to help them. Because of the amazing amount of inventory, so the store has a false second floor to store the goods. But all the works of sorting the goods are made by po po and her husband  single-handedly.


詠榕 Yin Rong