Closing down

Green Silk Store has been around for a very long time. By my reckoning, maybe at least 40 or 50 years operating at the junction of Beach Street and Bishop Street. When I was still working at Ban Hin Lee Bank, I would sometimes go there to buy my long-sleeved shirts or a tie. Green Silk Store also sell custom-made suits and warm outer-wear for travellers.


Pretty soon, this iconic textile shop will disappear from the face of George Town, overtaken by progress or the economic downturn. When I passed by Beach Street on Tuesday evening, the first thing I noticed was the Closing Down sign. I went in. There weren't many items left on the shelves or the counters. The sole elderly lady staff looked at me with rather forlorn eyes as she followed me around the shop.

"Closing down, eh?" I asked. She could only nod her head. "This shop's been around for a very long time," I commented, trying to make conversation. She nodded again. The sadness showed on her. I gave her a smile and I walked out of Green Silk Store, perhaps for the very last time.