Come and enjoy the part of the 852 we call home: Sheung Wan! I asked Team LRP to share some things we think you'll love in this area so that you have plenty of things to see and do once you've popped into the showroom for a mooch around! Sheung Wan is a complete melting pot of cool, traditional, modern yet historic, with plenty Hong Kong nostalgia thrown in - it's my absolute favourite part of Hong Kong! There are great shops, cafés, restaurants, places to take your kids to, and a couple of favourite beauty spots (at fabulous prices!). Hop on the tram and head west, get off at Western Market and start ticking these off your list - I hope you love it around here as much as I do!
New Wave Salon, Possession Street, aka 'Claire's Hairdressers'
This has now become a bit of an institution since I first talked about my $70 blow dry! Right around the corner from the showroom you'll find an unassuming local hairdressers who have been washing and blow-drying my hair twice a week for years! The head massage as I'm having my hair washed is to die for. You'll probably see either me, my kids, my friends, or other LRP fans in there too! Haha!
Nail 88, G/F, Welland Building, 368 Queen’s Road Central
A favourite amongst Team LRP for manis and pedis - and at a price that definitely suits the pocket! Don't got there expecting the Mandarin Spa, but you can't beat their 'shellac' which lasts forever!
Purple Tomato, 2 Jervois Street
One of my favourite takeaways close by to work is Purple Tomato. Delicious make-your-own salads and, even better, they gladly take my LRP lunchbox and fill that up rather than using one of their takeaway cartons. I go there at least 3 times a week... they take my order by whatsapp and keep my lunchboxes there so all I have to do is saunter over and pick up. Winner! Their Beef Rendang is also EPIC. Available on Deliveroo/Food Panda also.
Hollywood Park Road Park
Team LRP have taken their kids to this park for years - they love looking at the turtles and the koi carp in the ponds, running through the pagoda and, of course, the playground! Somewhere the kids can let off steam once you've popped into the showroom!! Plus it has tons of cool history and information boards telling you about the fact that this was where the British "took" Hong Kong!
ReBooked, 1st Floor, 9-11 Mee Lun Street
ReBooked is fantastic book shop especially for kids filled with preloved books. Pocket money can certainly go a lot further if you buy from here! We love supporting this awesome social enterprise! They take preloved books too... so pay it forward. LRP's Sheryl is a top fan of this awesome spot.
Lily Bookshop, 1F Kai Fung Bldg., 189 - 205 Queen's Road Central
This is a real hidden gem of a secondhand book store which has been in business for more than 20 years. A bibliophile’s dream, Flow Bookshop houses hundreds of old and sometimes new tomes in its cosy den. Check out their MASSIVE biography section!! Very close to Purple Tomato too... so browse while you're waiting for your lunch to be sorted.
Dandy's Organic Cafe, 32 Upper Lascar Row
Dandy's has a delicious range of delicious, organic foods. The salads are a particular favourite - filling, tasty and healthy! Win, win, win! Jen is crazy about this one and loves the whole area walking around all the antique shops.
HonJo
Fancy some modern Japanese cuisine for lunch (or maybe brunch!). HonJo serves up super tasty sushi and sashimi and with fantastic service. Team LRP recommend the Dreamer Lunch express! Also awesome for post-work drinks and food.
Green Ladies Preloved Shop, G/F, 168 Queen’s Road West
Green Ladies Preloved is a fashion store with an ethos very close to our heart! Based in Sai Ying Pun but still only 10 minutes or so from the showroom they sell a range of preloved clothes from local and international brands. Sheryl, from Team LRP, especially recommends it for mid-range handbags (think Michael Kors and Kate Spade).
Kam Lee - Cookery utensil store, 60-62 Bonham Strand (but on Cleverly Street)
And who doesn't love some shiny kitchen utensils and products! I love this store, particularly love some of their tins with bird motifs on them! So much so I plan to head over there shortly to buy some!! I get all my colanders and sieves and all sorts from there... my kids love to stroke the resident kitten!
Hardware store, Possession Street
Just around the corner from the office is one of those great hardware stores - selling all kinds of wonderful wares including our much admired 'display' baskets in the showroom (which are actually usually used in Hong Kong for drying fish!). The owner Perry speaks excellent English and you can find all sorts of treasures in there.
Yuen Kut Lam Tea Wo Tea - Jervois Street
The oldest shop in Sheung Wan is definitely worth popping into. They sell a little box of tea which is, in effect, a kind of ready-to-drink traditional Chinese medicine. The tea is made by blending 28 kinds of herbs, with its recipe remaining unchanged for centuries. I drink it every day and it is said to even be able to cure the plague.... just as well then really! Will keep drinking it religiously! The packaging is absolutely stunning- some people buy it only for that!
Upper Lascar Row (or locally know as Cat Street)
If you like mooching, you'll love Cat Street. Find antique dealers, art galleries and curio merchants selling lots of cool Hong Kong ephemera when you stroll up and down here. Plus, the bonus of a few lovely cafes as well! I collect old letters and there's always plenty to rifle through- the shopkeepers know me and quickly rush to find things I might like as I walk past!
Second Hand Furniture on Upper Lascar Row
One of my favourite stalls belongs to this lovely gentleman, Mr Hung, who sells pre-loved furniture and nick nacks. I usually find bits and pieces for my flat but recently I've been spotting larger pieces perfect for the showroom - lots of good things for visual merchandising and displaying our new products ... including this fantastic stand which he very kindly helped me carry to HQ! I'm going to paint it white and use it to display our new decorations! I bought an ancient leather trunk there last week for only HK$100!
PMQ
Only about 7-8 minutes walk from the showroom takes you to PMQ. So much talent in this space with studios and small independent brands and pop up shops. There are often exhibits or small events or markets in the main courtyard space which you can go walk into and I've done a number of classes as well. Check out their website to see what's happening when you are passing. I've heard great things about the French restaurant Louise and have enjoyed dimsum at SohoFama.
Blue Lotus Gallery
There are lots of little galleries around Sheung Wan but one of my favourites is the photography gallery, Blue Lotus, on Pound Lane. I walk past it every day on my commute. It has a really strong focus on exploring Hong Kong's culture and identity through photography and they sell the work of a number of amazing photographers and have a very well curated book shop.
Graffiti
There are some fantastic pieces of graffiti art around Sheung Wan - take yourself (and your kids) on a self guided tour around some of the best work! Plenty of Instagrammable spots!! LRP team member Jen loves to practice her street art photography around here- so much to see!
