In recent years, some of the must-see destinations in Tokyo are the Japanese-European antique shops located on the outskirts of the main shopping districts. You would feel fulfilled once you have discovered the well-hidden location of the shops.  This can only be experienced after exploring the areas such as Meguro, Gotanda, Ebisu, Daikanyama, Jiyugaoka, using a specific map for the different junk style antique & collectible stores. As for Hong Kong, the demand has been increasing for similar shops to appear, and in recent years, local fans of the genre have been active in introducing this unique culture to the city. Although the items may not have been the best quality, but it had assisted the start of this trend and it is definitely something worth supporting. In late October, a pleasant surprise for the birth of the GENERAL STORE was found in Gage Street near SOHO district in Central.

The yellow dim-lights glowing around the borders of the large metal door releases a sense of classicalesque. The concept behind the GENERAL STORE is similar to the antique shops found in Japan. Shelly Hayashi who is currently living in London and the Japanese Architect Masayuki Fukada founded the store. The name “GENERAL STORE” was originally used to describe the wholesale shops in the rural areas of all corners of the world. The owners suggested they like the idea of the name and thought Hong Kong should have a GENERAL STORE of its own. With their unique vision and knowledge of antiquities, the duo has imported popular auction items such as the Eurpoean-furniture from the 19th century, American street-properties from the 40-50s, Japanese INDIGO denim from 100 years ago, etc… One of our favourites would be the Italian industrial lamp selling at the price of $8,400HKD. All the items found in the store are in excellent condition, valuable yet practical. While the pieces mentioned is only the tip of an iceberg, GENERAL STORE has a lot more to deliver and more items are waiting to be discovered.

Text: Chung | Translation: Elibe Wong
Photo: Anthony Chan

GENERAL STORE
41 Gage Street, Shop H, Central, Hong Kong
+852 28518144

generalstoreltd.com