HK couple finds niche with vintage goods in Guangzhou

Popularity of their nostalgic item shops have led them to plan for a third

While many young people are pursuing fashion, a young couple from Hong Kong are enjoying operating two stores, selling special items from a few decades ago, in Guangzhou, Guangdong's provincial capital.

The stores Candy Wong and her husband, Dee Tang, run in the city's Yuexiu district are becoming increasingly popular among local residents and tourists, particularly those who were born in the 1970s and '80s.

"Perhaps those who were born during those years tend to be nostalgic for the past," Wong said during an interview.

Both Wong and Tang were born in the 1980s.

The couple opened their first store in 2016. Spurred by the growing number of buyers and visitors, Wong said they plan to open a third, larger store in the southern metropolis later this year that will feature even more retro items.

"Many buyers come to the stores looking for items that bring back memories of their childhood," Wong said.

Recently, an older Guangzhou housewife came to her store and took a liking to a Chinese-style crimson skirt.

"She told me that she had always wanted to buy such an outfit, as her husband once bought her a similar one from Hong Kong when they got married decades ago," Wong said.

At that time, such an outfit was very expensive, costing the equivalent of 390 yuan ($60), according to Wong.

"When I saw it, I recalled my young, happy years," the housewife was quoted as saying by Wong. The woman ultimately purchased the skirt.

Another time, a boy came to the store and told Wong that he wanted to buy a small gold watch from his mother's time and give it to her as a gift, Wong said.

"The price of those watches in the 1980s was about 1,000 yuan. These watches may not be able to work now, but for them, the significance of nostalgia is greater than use," Wong said.