A business licence to treasure forever
KUALA PILAH: The name has changed and so has its structure but the 72-year- old coffee shop at Jalan Ampang Tinggi, here, still retains its old-world charm – and its very first business licence issued by the British authorities in 1953.
Opened in 1946 at the same spot where it stands today, Ah Meng Coffee Shop was Kuala Pilah’s first food and beverage outlet. In fact, apart from the coffee shop, there was only one other shop there then and it sold sundries.
Now renamed Kopitiam Kampong Parit, it is still owned by the same family that established the original coffee shop and is currently operated by Tan Yong Min, 61, who is the grandson of the man who founded the shop.
Run by three generations of the Tan family and having survived more than seven decades, the coffee shop is close to Tan’s heart and so is its original business licence, which he would not part with for anything in the world.
“It is my family’s most prized possession as the licence was issued even before our country attained independence,” he told Bernama, adding that he had laminated the brown- coloured document and kept it safely.
Apparently, the museum authorities had expressed its interest in acquiring the 65-yearold business licence as it had great historical value but Tan and his family are reluctant to ‘surrender’ it as they considered the document a legacy handed down by their late grandfather.
Tan also believed that he was the only person in Negeri Sembilan who has in his possession an original business licence issued
It is my family’s most prized possession as the licence was issued even before our country attained independence.
by the British authorities.
Tan, who took over the reins of the business from his father the late Tan Choon Hee in 1989, said although his grandfather had opened the coffee shop in 1946, he only applied for a business licence in 1950.
“My grandfather cycled to the office of the British authorities here and told them he wanted to apply for a licence for his shop. A few officers later visited the shop and asked my father to fill up a form.
“Although the application was made in 1950, it was only approved in 1953,” he said.
In keeping up with the times, the coffee shop’s name was eventually changed to Kopitiam Kampong Parit while its original wooden structure made way for a semibrick building.
Nevertheless, certain fixtures from the past remain intact like, for instance, the three marbletop tables, 12 chairs and a solid wooden cupboard that have been a part of the coffee shop since it first opened.
In the early days, food was stored in the antique cupboard as no lizard or rat could enter it once its doors were shut tight.
“Since the ( Kuala Pilah) local authority does not allow food to be stored in such a cupboard, it’s not used for that purpose now.
“The antique tables and chairs are still sturdy even though they are some 72 years old,” said Tan, adding that although the cups and saucers used in his shop were not the original ones, they retained the old designs so that patrons can get the feel of the kopitiam atmosphere from a bygone era.
According to Tan, Ah Meng Coffee Shop was where the British soldiers used to “chill out” over coffee, tea and toast.
During the 1960s, Australian navy personnel would visit their shop to quench their thirst with the Long Chan bottled drink that came in various f lavours like sarsi, orange and grape. Each bottle only cost 20 sen to 30 sen then.
“The villagers would also stop at our shop in the evening to drink coffee after tapping the rubber trees,” he said, adding that the coffee powder they had been using since the early days till now was sourced from a factory in Kepong, Kuala Lumpur.
“It is processed using traditional methods and is not available in the market as the factory delivers the coffee powder directly to 50 or 60 coffee shops in the country.”
Tan, who is fondly known as Ameng among the locals, also said that his shop was currently patronised by Malays, Chinese and Indians who would discuss business or work matters over a cup of coffee or tea.
“There’s no space for racism here. What you get to hear and see here are laughter and camaraderie.
“If my customers have any political differences, they leave it outside the shop. Like the spirit of yesteryears, this shop helps to foster unity and respect among the various races,” he said. — Bernama
Tan Yong Min, Kopitiam Kampong Parit owner