Fat Kee Barber Shop
In the long back alley of this old building on Berwick Street
in Shek Kip Mei, Fat Kee Barber Shop is open for proper
business, and yet a concerto of life may burst forth at
any time, full of flesh and blood. Elderly men come into
the shop frequently and rehearse some songs; they like
to sing Chinese opera and nostalgic songs of the 1960s
and 1970s, including “The Butterfly Lovers”, “My Motherland”,
etc.
The Shek Kip Mei people call this the “Old Man
Village”. These urban old folks do not necessarily have to
sit in parks. During the past twenty years, there was this
open-air singing pub that they can come to. The credit
goes to Ah Fat, nicknamed “Top Opera Singer in the Barber
Trade”, who lets his unkempt buddies gather here to play
chess, chatter, sing, and be merry.
The musical friends are old customers. Ah Fat’s business
“kingdom” dwells in a small alley, but he has his set of
business management skills. “The shop must have an atmosphere.
The shop sign must be written with a vigorous
calligraphy. I can take care of all plumbing, electrical, and
carpentry jobs in the shop single-handedly. Do not fear
wind or rain, man! Yet, with only one male barber serving
in this narrow alley, women customers fear to come. It is
better to have a female assistant to attract clients. My wife
however stays home; she thinks the alley is dirty.” Ah Fat
says. His back alley shop has a 90% male clientele.
