I think it really just boils down to smartly and tactfully handling everything. I just do what needs to be done.
Just out of curiosity however, we asked Ah Ju how it all started. With a smile, he simply said that it’s all thanks to the ambitious and inquisitive little boy he once was. It is that little boy that’s responsible for the person he’s become today.
At just 9 years old, Ah Ju said he’d head to his father’s bicycle shop right after school where he’d fix and assemble bicycles for a small fee. “It was good having some extra money in hand as a child, especially when it meant that you could buy the things that you want.”This is how he unintentionally became an independent bicycle store owner many years later. Ah Ju added that the dynamics behind fixing and assembling bicycles were different back in the days. Bicycles were required to be built or repaired from scratch, unlike today, where everything has become a lot more simple and advanced.
Life however wasn’t as simple as we’d all like for it to be, the same goes with Ah Ju. One incident that he can never erase from his memory, was the day when his father’s bicycle shop burnt down in flames many years back. One can only imagine how devastating it must have been for the entire family, after it lost its only source of income. That didn’t stop him from rebuilding the business back to its former splendour. And 11 years after the incident, Ah Ju rented and began operating from a shop in Taman Kenari, Kulim.
When life began rewarding him for all the hard work, he moved his business to a much better location, one where he currently operates. Not only does he have a blooming business today, he’s also became a husband and a father. The rest, as the saying goes, is history.
Ah Ju continues to lead a simple life by doing the things that truly makes life worthwhile. He says that it’s of extreme importance for him to always remain connected with his friends and family, and through whatever means. One of the things he does is to spend his time cycling with his favourite people when time permits. Isn’t this the kind of blessing a lot of us yearn for?
Despite it all, what is it that really keeps him going? The answer to this is very simple, he says. As clichéd as it may sound, it’s really just the power and benefits of being positive. Ah Ju also adds jokingly, that he credits his youthful looks to always remaining optimistic regardless of what life throws at him. This certainly makes for a good lesson everyone can take home with them.
KULIM SOON LEE BICYCLE SHOP
Operating Hours: 10am-7pm
Address: No.72, Jalan Keladi, Taman Desa Kasturi, 09000 Kulim, Kedah, Malaysia.
Contact: +604 490 9782 / +60 12 438 7323
Brands available: Fuji, Sigma, Cateye, Raleigh, Shimano, Bridgestone, Cannondale, TRS, SRAM
