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A Vanishing Race

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Hong Kong is a typical big city where nearly all neighbourhood shops have been elbowed out of the way by colossal chain stores, except for the older districts devoid of huge business viability.

With the juggernaut of greed in nowadays humans whereby even the Copenhagen summit  becomes another occasion to ask for delayed remedial actions to the big environment issue, it is little wonder that small neighbourhood businesses cannot survive.

They are the vanishing race.

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It was just by chance that I came across this teeny-weeny shoesmith shop which is situated in the tiny space under a staircase leading up to a pre-WWII tenement building.  For this kind of shop, the commonly known name is "Loutiedyke  Poou", or literally "Staircase-underside Shop".

These days you won't find many, if any, shoesmiths in Hong Kong.  Maybe you can spot one or two mending shoes of variety at some makeshift stall in a back lane of an old neighbourhood.  It will be certainly by the grace of luck if you come across a shoesmith with a decent shop of his own.

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I approached the friendly man, who was engrossed in mending a black leather shoe, and asked, "May I take some pictures of you?"

"For sure, just go ahead," he replied at once in a very audible, willing tone despite of his face mask.

What did his reply remind me of?  It was the friendliness of neighbourhood shopkeepers which you who have grown up in such neighbourhoods definitely miss.

Try to wander in any big name store and ask for permission to take photographs.  You will probably be refused or even confronted by the security staff if you insist.

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When I had taken enough shots, I raised my eyebrows and voice to admire his decent shop with a thanking note before I left.  He, without turning his head from the black leather shoe on his hand, spoke up at my back, "Don't mention it.  You're very welcomed to take more."

I heard him as I walked away, and thought to myself, "Only if all the greedy decisions can be reverted."

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