A love for heritage

One builder’s initiatives are giving young entrepreneurs a launchpad into operating creative businesses within the heritage enclave of George Town.

BY NURUL HANISAH

nurulhanisah@mystar.com.my

Ho sharing his stories on heritage properties during an interview at his home in Petaling Jaya.

HERITAGE Conservation Sdn Bhd director Stephen Ho’s passion for refurbishing and restoring old buildings, which started off as a hobby in the year 2000, got a lot more serious when he formed Heritage Conservation Sdn Bhd back in 2012.

This Penang-born builder as he humbly refers to himself, ventured into the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Heritage enclave of George Town, acquiring historical buildings and restoring them to their former glory.

Currently residing in Petaling Jaya with his family, Ho still frequently travels to Penang to supervise the refurbishment progress of his few properties and to spend some quality time with his parents.

Ho’s love for old buildings really shows through in the great care that he takes – from the point of acquisition and restoration to adaptive reuse of these once dilapidated structures – to stay true to the unique building techniques used in the past while also making them livable by modern-day standards.

Over the years, Ho has acquired several properties within the heritage enclave of George Town. However, what he does with these little pieces of history after they have been restored is even more amazing. Ho rents them out to young, local entrepreneurs who are hungry to make a name for themselves in the business world.

“Gone are the days when young people want to become doctors, lawyers or teachers. Now they want to run their own business, they want to have their own company. And they have such fantastic, creative ideas. That’s what I love about the younger generation,” he added vibrantly.

Ho endeavours to locate the right tenants with the right mindset, vision and business plan to rent his heritage properties. He even admitted to spending more than a year on the interview process to select the right tenants, to ensure that these heritage properties are properly taken care of.

“I’m always interested to know what my future tenants plan to do with my properties. I appreciate them telling me what the nature of their business is, and if our vision is aligned, I don’t mind helping and supporting them,” Ho enthused.

In fact, George Town’s cultural legacy makes it the perfect place for creative young entrepreneurs to hone their craft.

Ho shares that George Town is fast becoming the focal point for the younger generation who seek to develop their creative and business skills in hospitality, food & beverage, photography, painting, handicrafts, culinary skills, etc. And as a consequence, the market for art galleries, craft shops and cafes within the heritage area of George Town is growing at a healthy rate.

Since the UNESCO World Heritage status was awarded in 2008, George Town has received an overwhelming number of visitors, comprising both local and foreign heritage tourists, business investors and property developers.

According to UNESCO, George Town is a unique architectural and cultural townscape without parallel anywhere in East and South-East Asia. This historic colonial town demonstrates the cultural elements from the Malay Archipelago, India and China as well as Europe, which combined, make for the stunning architecture, culture and landscape that are unique to Penang.

Hence, it is not surprising that George Town continues to draw people from around the world to this day and is the perfect launchpad for any creative entrepreneur. - The Star