Bedok tailor, 80, has been tailoring since 1961. Now he struggles with rent & caring for wheelchair-bound daughter.
Bedok tailor, 80, has been tailoring since 1961. Now he struggles with rent & caring for wheelchair-bound daughter.
If you need a tailor in the east, you know where to go.
October 01, 2020, 04:07 PM
Gardens by the BayHo Yong Lee is leisurely listening to the radio and flipping through the latest edition of Lianhe Zaobao when we entered his cosy little shop in Bedok.
Image by Syahindah IshakHe greets us warmly, even before we have had a chance to introduce ourselves.
Image by Syahindah Ishak
Image by Syahindah IshakTough times
Despite him being all smiles, times have been tough for Ho.
The circuit breaker effectively saw a temporary shuttering of his store.
He tells us he has heard of many tailors that have closed down in the span of a few months.
Even as measures were eased, business has not appeared to have recovered in tandem.
Speaking in Mandarin, he tells us that business has effectively been halved, with his shop now seeing about three customers a day.
The customers he get now, possibly due to the economy being what it is, rarely go for expensive services either.
He has had to slash his prices as well in a bid to attract potential customers.
But even then he has found himself struggling with the rent, which comes up to about S$3,000 a month.
Daughter involved in accident
Ho has good reason not to give up on the business though.
The father of three tells us how his youngest child had gotten into an accident in 1989 which left her wheelchair-bound, and needing a helper to take care of her.
"My daughter was hit by a car on Jan. 15, 1989. It’s been 30 over years. Taking care of her, our helper’s salary is 700 dollars a month."
Ho attributes this as one of the reasons why he hopes to work a bit longer.
It's already been quite a storied career for the tailor.
He had started his own tailor shop in Sembawang in 1971, but had moved to this current Changi outlet in 2000.
Most times he is the only one manning the stall.
His 79-year-old wife sometimes will come down to help out during their busy periods, "she's still very strong" Ho assures us, but those days have been rare recently.
Old school
The shop itself embodies an old school charm:
Image by Syahindah Ishak
Image by Syahindah IshakThat doesn't mean Ho is stuck in the past, however. He tells Mothership that he keeps afloat of the trends as much as possible.
Ho says there are some tailors who are unwilling to change their ways and mindset they grew up with, which ultimately leads to their failure.
Image by Syahindah Ishak
Image by Syahindah Ishak
Image by Syahindah Ishak
Image by Syahindah IshakIn fact, there's a sewing machine on the table that Ho tells us he's been using for 60 years.
Image by Syahindah IshakThere's nothing that fills him with more joy than seeing his customers satisfied with their clothing, he says.
The store is open from 8:30am to 4:30pm from Mondays to Saturday, and opens till 2pm on Sundays.
Those hours are shorter than during pre-Covid-19 days.
Prices lowered
The price for tailor-made long pants, thanks to a post from Facebook group Support Local, is as such: S$120 to S$200 plus for three long pants, S$360 and above for suits.
Ho plans to continue with the shop for six to seven more years, although he admits there are more "what-ifs" as he grows older, saying no one really knows what might or might not happen tomorrow.
Still, as we wind up our interview, he smiles and wonders out loud if this might get him more customers.
His wife might even have to come down and help him out.
Location: Block 59 New Upper Changi Road #01-1254
Top images from Syahindah Ishak.
https://mothership.sg/2020/10/changi-tailor-80/
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