A Journey Through Time

Dazzling lights, bright reflections, golden and silver silhouettes come out from every angle of the shop. The moment I stepped in this little shiny room, I was amazed by the infinite number of watches that covered every corner, fitted in such a limited space. As a foreigner in Asia for the first time, I was awed by the store’s traditional and varied surroundings – it felt like I was entering a treasure cove, with the sense of family warmth in the air.

No wonder! The aunties and uncles managing the shop are siblings! Kwang Guan Watches Shop is a family business started by their father, currently run by two sisters and two brothers. They first started to sell watches and offered additional and complementary services focused on repairing and tuning. They subsequently diversified their merchandise selling typewriters, pens, and calculators. It is not hard to detect that their customers are mainly students, teachers and businessmen working and living in the vicinity close by.

This humble shop was so profitable to the family that they expanded and bought another storefront opposite them. With this strategic acquisition, it now faces the main road and Kwang Guan Watches Shop was able to capture more customers.

“Attracting new customers has been a constant challenge for us throughout these years. But since accomplishing our father’s vision of having two shops, our sales started to increase!”.

At a very young age, the brothers and sisters has begun helping out at the shop, after school or during the holidays. I wish that someday, more youths will uncover this gold mine, and experience this very nostalgic feeling that overwhelmed me when I visited them. Their motto “Union for Growth” will always remain in my heart.