One day Wet & Wendy will have our own stores. We'll keep you covered whatever the weather, rain, hail or shine, we will have the most beautiful stores you've ever seen and we will have our own mending man, a gorgeous little old man dedicated to customising and repairing your umbrella's. He will be a master of his craft and will pass this trade down to a Wet & Wendy apprentice sitting at his side, taking on the legacy.
We have all got so used to this throw-away society where we are happy to by a cheap throw away umbrella and bin it when it's frame breaks on the second day, I dread to think of the land of lost and broken umbrellas.
One man is making a difference. I always pop by whenever I am in Hong Kong, he is so happy in his dusty little stall and it makes me happy to see him taking such care to fix umbrellas whatever the type, cheap or expensive, he is Ho Hung Hee.
After World War II, Mr Ho learnt his craft working at a Hong Kong umbrella factory, he then left to work at his one man umbrella fixing business where he works to this day. For over 55 years Mr Ho has fixed the cities umbrellas. He even holds the Guinness World Record for making the worlds most expensive umbrella. He made two from 100 year old German umbrella frames he found and Ox hides. He sold one for $2000 and the other he refused to sell, he donated it to the Hong Kong Museum of History.
Mr Ho please come to work for Wet & Wendy?
Ho Hei Kee, 74 Peel Street, Central, Hong Kong; tel. +852 2778 4306.
Open Monday - Saturday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Closed Sundays.
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