Shops in Jonker Street

Wah Aik Shoes

 

Things they sell

 

They sell mainly things like bound feet shoes and old & modern leather beaded sandals. It would be individually made and designed. The most common prints include flower and goldfish designs as they were the traditional and common designs in that era. The bound shoe would take around 5 to 6 days to make whereas the beaded shoes would take at least 3 to 4 months due to the size of the shoe and the intricate details on it.  

 

History

The shop is a family shop and thus it has been passed down for 3 generations which is over a 100 years and is known for being the oldest shoe-making shop in Malacca. The shop has been passed down and thus the owners wish to continue the family tradition. The shop focuses on traditional value of the Peranakan culture and does not really focus on the trending sales. The designs on each shoe has a significant value to it too.

 

There is actually no specific type of customer that visits the shop. The owner, however, said that there were more Japanese customers, although the target audience is basically anyone, starting from the age of 5.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shopkeeper's Words

 

"Very cultural” They do not really care about the sells, but instead the cultural value plays a more important goal in their business. -Raymond Yeo

 

Our Views

We feel that there is a lot of love put into making each shoe and product. The fact that it has been passed down for three generations shows the bond and love for the tradition too and we are very touched and impressed. Every shoe requires hard work, time and effort and we are awed. We hope it would continue down even more traditions, passing down the Peranakan culture further down to more generations in the near future. It is so fantastic for the 2 shop owners of the oldest shoe-making shop to be compelled to continue their family legacy and continue the tradition as not many youngsters these days would be willing to make the sacrifice and we could tell how devoted they were to they’re occupation as they were not only doing it for the money, but more for the sake of continuing this unique and rare tradition. We love their enthusiasm and they were even offering their handmade, dainty shoes for us to hold to take pictures with them. They were not in the least worried that we would destroy them! We feel that their love for their work is something infectious and it is definitely heartwarming to see their passion for what they do. Despite their old age, they have youthful hearts and cheerful spirits, and that is something that is so noticeable about them.