{
  "id": 1192184,
  "title": "Bead Street’s fraying legacy: craft hub faces uncertain future as shops bow out",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/16/bead-streets-fraying-legacy-craft-hub-faces-uncertain-future-as-shops-1192184",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-08-16T04:01:18.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "South China Morning Post",
    "slug": "south-china-morning-post",
    "url": "https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3364167/bead-streets-fraying-legacy-craft-hub-faces-uncertain-future-shops-bow-out"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In a modest handicraft shop in Hong Kong's Sham Shui Po district, elderly Jen Kwong, a 70-year-old veteran of the textile industry, was sorting through spools of embroidered and sequined ribbons. While other customers around her sorted through beads and accessories, Kwong, who had spent four decades in the industry, lamented the impending demise of what used to be known as \"Bead Street\" for its abundance of crafting shops. The area, dominated by eateries now, is set to undergo further changes as four accessory retailers on the adjacent streets of Yu Chau, Ki Lung, and Nam Cheong prepare to close their doors by the end of the month.\n\nKwong reminisced about the bustling days when the street thrived with customers lining up just to shop at the Japanese zip maker YKK Corporation, which had closed its Sham Shui Po storefront in 2008. She expressed regret that Bead Street had transformed completely, lamenting the loss of a significant part of Hong Kong's manufacturing legacy. Kwong highlighted the difficulty in sourcing imported materials like high-quality sequins from India, which were once readily available in the street.\n\nDespite the shop's current state, it remained busy with customers shopping for a variety of items, from beads and ribbons to hooks and clasps. Kwong emphasized the importance of in-person shopping, citing the inability to replicate the tactile experience of browsing through shelves in online shopping. She expressed disappointment at the lack of similar offerings in Shenzhen, noting that the quality and variety of materials at Sham Shui Po shops set them apart.\n\nAnother prominent shop, Kwong Yiu Fashion Accessories Company on Nam Cheong Street, also announced its closure at the end of August due to a sharp decline in business, with sales falling by an unexpected 60% in recent years. Despite the shop's owner, Mok, witnessing a surge in interest in crafts during the pandemic, she attributed the current downturn to a gradual decline since 2023. Mok lamented the transformation of Yu Chau Street into a mix of eateries, emphasizing the loss of the street's unique identity as \"Bead Street.\"\n\nThe closure of Bead Box, a narrow shop filled with neatly categorized beads, was also attributed to rising costs and macroeconomic factors. The owner lamented the increasing expenses of beads, which are petroleum derivatives, as well as higher logistical and manpower costs, leading to a decline in wholesale business. The shop owner cited the difficulty in competing with online alternatives, where customers could find high-quality products at lower prices.\n\nCommunity-based tour guide Paul Chan Chi-yuen, who has documented the changes in Sham Shui Po over the past decade, observed both the positive and negative aspects of the neighborhood's economic transformation. While the influx of new businesses brought fresh energy and creativity, he cautioned about the challenges of managing change in an economically diverse neighborhood. Chan pointed to successful examples of economic transformation, such as the Michelin Bib Gourmand Kung Wo Tofu Factory, which demonstrated the potential for growth in Sham Shui Po's old districts.",
  "summary": "In a cramped handicraft shop in Hong Kong’s Sham Shui Po neighbourhood, 70-year-old Jen Kwong was sifting through reels of embroidered and sequinned ribbons while other shoppers around her were hunched over containers of tiny beads and trinkets. Kwong, who had worked for four decades during the golden age of Hong Kong’s textile manufacturing industry, still tailors and alters clothing for her…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "South China Morning Post - Hong Kong",
        "title": "Bead Street’s fraying legacy: craft hub faces uncertain future as shops bow out",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/16/bead-streets-fraying-legacy-craft-hub-faces-uncertain-future-as-shops",
        "published": "2026-08-16T04:01:18.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}