They restore broken luggage for as low as $8

SINGAPORE - As a boy, Mr Richard Lee would buy coffee for his uncles, chit-chatting with them in the Aljunied shophouse where they ran a rubber and glue business.

But this changed sometime in the 1970s when an airline crew member walked into the shop, Chiang Kong Services.

The man had with him an old PVC luggage bag and wanted to know if Mr Lee's uncles could repair it.

Since they had a glue machine, the brothers decided to give it a shot and they fixed it.

From glue to bags

Thus began a new and wonderful line of work for the shop.

Word spread and soon, more air crew were having their luggage fixed at Chiang Kong, where prices start at $8 for simple repairs.

They mend torn bags, faulty wheels, handles, zippers and locks.

Although it looks easy, it is no mean feat, said Mr Lee, 42

"It's not like rojak where you just put in this and that. Repairing a piece of luggage requires the proper steps.

"My uncle once said to me, treat the luggage like a toy and once you know how to dismantle it, you'll know how to put it back together."

In 2006, he has taken over the business from his uncles, whose children were not interested in the business. He is now the sole owner of Chiang Kong.

Wheels most common

Mr Desmond Wong, who co-owns another luggage repair shop - Mirrco at Middle Road - say simple fixes like changing wheels and zippers can take up to two hours.

Wheels, he says, are the part that needs fixing the most. "Not everything can be repaired. It depends on parts availability as some models have already been discontinued," he added.

"Repairs can be done without much difficulty but finding the parts are the most difficult because there are just way too many brands and models."

With air travel becoming more affordable nowadays, Mr Wong, 44, believes his trade will not die off anytime soon.

And according to luggage repairman Dave Cheong, 55, of DnF Luggage Centre, some people attach great sentimental value to their luggage bags.

A customer once approached him with a bag from the 1950s.

"The guy told me: 'This bag brings me luck, repair it regardless of the cost'," Mr Cheong said.

It's not like rojak where you just put in this and that. Repairing a piece of luggage requires the proper steps. - Mr Richard Lee, 42, owner of a luggage repair shop

This article was published on May 2 in The New Paper.

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