At Hock Siong & Co’s warehouse in Tai Seng, a towering mural titled Gift To Singapore overlooks rows of rosewood furniture, stacks of porcelain crockery and an eclectic mix of items from vintage nursery comics to a chain link from a superyacht.
The second-hand furniture and homeware business, rooted in the traditional karung guni (rag and bone) trade, is now run by three sisters who are proud to carry forward the company their father built.
One of them, Ms Brillyn Toh, said people always question why she wanted to be a scrap dealer despite her university education.
“I was like: ‘Why not? I grew up on karung guni money. Why can’t I become one?” said the 38-year-old, who takes care of procurement for the business.
Her father, Mr Toh Chin Siong, used to help her grandfather collect newspapers and other unwanted household items when he was young.
In the 1990s, he set up his own company, and expanded his collection after acquiring a trove of furniture from the iconic Marco Polo Hotel, which closed in 1999.
Now semi-retired at 65, Mr Toh has handed the reins to his daughters. Besides Brillyn, Beaunice, 33, and Blessance, 30, help with operations and administrative work respectively.
The Gift To Singapore mural by Gerard Henderson is about 4m tall.
ST PHOTO: AILEEN TEO
For Hock Siong, the business usually begins when sellers contact it via WhatsApp or social media.
Many of these sellers are business owners who are winding down operations, or those clearing out homes following the death of a loved one.
Brillyn assesses the quality of each item to determine if it is worth acquiring, taking into account the existing inventory in the warehouse.
“We always try to maintain a good mix of different (curated items),” Brillyn said. “We do not want to be a Chinese antique store.”
If the item requires fixing, it is sent to the refurbishment team.
Those ready for sale are displayed in the warehouse. Some are added to the e-commerce store.
From time to time, it shares about its collections on social media, which is effective in drawing customers.
In one instance, a customer snapped up an entire set of Elvis Presley photo cards after the business posted about it.
Some pieces have to be refitted and repainted before they are put up for sale.
ST PHOTO: SAMUEL RUBY
While many companies have ambitious long-term plans, the three sisters sometimes find themselves pondering the “expiry date” of their business, after handling many items from business closures and estate clearances.
Without a next generation to take over, they accept that Hock Siong may come to an eventual end.
“By fate, we are here and don’t mind continuing our dad’s business.
“But if we don’t have anyone to take over, then we have no choice. When we get old, it ends with us,” said Beaunice.
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