Lethbridge man preserving Chinatown’s history

For Albert Leong, Bow On Tong is more than just the family business.

“I’m sentimental about this place because I’ve been here for so long,” said Leong.

“I like this store and this building because I was born in the basement. I’ve been here all my life, and hopefully I get to kick the bucket here too,” he joked.

The store has been in his family for over 100 years. Of 23 brothers and sisters, the 72 year-old Leong is the only one who has stuck around to take care of the store.

Bow On Tong means good health store, and that’s exactly why his father opened it in Lethbridge’s Chinatown.

But the majority of its business is gone. Leong sells the odd trinket now and then, but he insists on keeping the building, his home, alive.

“This used to be called Chinatown, the buildings are still the same but everyone that was down here is gone,” said Leong.

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“This is Chinatown and I’m the only Chinese guy in Chinatown.”

Leong isn’t alone in trying to save Chinatown.

The Downtown Business Revitilization Zone nominated several buildings on the block for a facelift, through Benjamin Moore’s ‘Paint What Matters’ contest.

“It’s what the name says, paint what matters,” said Ted Stilson, Executive Director for the Downtown BRZ. “I think our community’s very supportive of maintaining and preserving our heritage buildings for future generations and that’s one of our goals, is to preserve our heritage buildings for future generations.”

While a number of buildings along the block have been renovated to house new businesses, Bow On Tong has remained untouched all these years.

The store still has products on its shelves from its days of selling natural medicines. Leaves and twigs, animal bones and bugs still sit where Leong’s father left them.

It’s items like those many say make Bow On Tong one of the remaining pieces of Chinatown.

“This is my home,” said Leong. “This block, is my home. So I’d like it to last even after I’m gone. If some day my nieces and nephews came by, they’d be able to look at it and say ‘hey, that’s where uncle Al lived.'”

20 communities will be selected for a main street face lift.

To vote for Lethbridge, and the Bow On Tong, visit http://www.paintwhatmatters.ca