Treasure in trash
Ex-graphic designer makes antiques out of discards
KUALA LUMPUR: The saying that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure has led Mohd Romaizie Muhamad Mustapha to open an antique shop filled with “old wonders”.
Known to his friends as Rom, he loves interior designing but was bored with commercialised designs. This led him to add old but usable items when he decorated his home.
“I grew tired of seeing the same furniture and decoration in my friends’ houses. So I started using old things like a wooden trunk to store things and added a cushion at the top for sitting,” said the 27year-old, who is the owner of a shop called Outdated in Publika shopping mall at Solaris Dutamas.
He also sells his items on Outdated’s Facebook page.
He later started picking items from the kampung in his hometown in Kuala Pilah and also trawled Johor Baru for “junk” that people threw out.
“Some of the owners were avid collectors, but their grandchildren were not interested in keeping things they thought were merely junk.
“People do not realise that every piece has its story to tell. What I do is recycle culture and history by combining a little bit of the past with the present,” he said, citing an example in which he converted railway sleepers into a table by adding steel stands at the bottom.
Among the treasures he has found include typewriters that date back to the 1920s, a 100-year-old steel trunk, the front of a 1960’s Mercedes Benz, and a World War II army helmet.
“I had 50 rolls of old thread and have sold almost all of them. Some customers even wanted wooden window shutters to be made into tables,” he added.
Mohd Romaizie, who was a graphic designer in the advertising industry, said he picked up some tips in bargaining from History Channel’s American Pickers.
“We have to be patient and persistent in negotiating for a good price,” he said.
Mohd Romaizie hopes to educate the public that “vintage is a lifestyle and not a fashion that fades”.