Hong Kong is well-known for being a 'Shopping Heaven', and there is no doubt about that. Nonetheless, I found it less enjoyable to shop in Hong Kong nowadays, as compared to London, due to its lack in variation and character.
During my trip to Hong Kong, however, I was very fortunate that I could get to know a shop that is very enthusiastic about selling traditional British style goods and educating the shoppers about the story behind the products.
Allow me to introduce you to Houses Shop.
Sitting at the rather secluded street of Granville Circuit, Houses Shop is not the easiest place to find at the first glance. With that said, the menswear shop is actually a hidden gem of Hong Kong.
Starting off as a custom made silver jewelry shop at Tsim Sha Tsui in 1998; it had quite an interesting transition in terms of the products through the first decade of the century, until it finally transformed itself in 2011 to focus mostly on British goods.
The owner of the shop, William, explains that not only the brands they now offer tend to have tremendous heritage and legacies; but also the products tend to be more durable and age better in time, in contrast to products of fast fashion brands.
Today, Houses shop is the official Hong Kong dealer for numerous renowned British brands, namely Tricker's, Pantherella, Christy's, Barbour and many others.
They have an impressive stock of Tricker's especially, with an entire shelf dedicated for housing Tricker's shoes (as shown above). Whether you are looking for their iconic wingtip derbies or some boots for this rainy Hong Kong weather, there is always something for you.
What needs to be highlighted especially is that Houses shop is one of the few remaining companies that actually offers customers a MTO service with Tricker's.
Another impressive fact about Houses Shop is how it promoted the culture of wearing high-quality socks to the public in Hong Kong.
There was a time when it was completely unacceptable for a pair of socks to be sold for $200 HKD. However, a few years back when Houses Shop started selling Corgi socks, and later Pantherella ones, things started to change.
Soon the trend for high-quality socks started to emerge. At one point, Houses Shop was able to sell as many as 200 pairs of Corgi socks a month.
Today, Houses shop offers exclusive sock-models made specifically for them by Corgi, often based on the designs requested by the shop's customers. This service could only become a reality with the shop's special relation to Corgi as well as its achievement.
Another personal favorite that is featured by Houses Shop is Christy's hat. There are quite a few of panama hats like mine, and even multiple Grade-16 ones in stock; as well as a good collection of caps.
Frankly speaking, there aren't really many shops that offer good-quality British made hats in Hong Kong. Houses Shop is really the place to pick up some nice ones from.
What I have highlighted above is just a small fraction to what the shop actually offers.
Apart from those, some of the products which Houses shop also offers includes traditional British dress shoes like Cheaneys, extraordinary knitwear from the legendary John Smedley, accessories from Ettinger, Croots, as well as Kirk Originals.
And of course, many more to come in the future.
All in all, Houses shop is definitely the place to check out when it comes to relaxed British-style goods. From its cozy interior to the staff's passionate in selling these products, shopping at Houses is truly a delightful experience.
P.S. Shout out to William and others for their amazing hospitality.
Address: Tsim Sha Tsui, Granville Circuit, 5-11, G22-G24 Rise Commercial Building
Website: http://www.housesshop.com.hk/site/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HOUSES.SHOP/