Old quarter street revamp under progress

Duarte Silvério

The streets leading up to St. Paul’s Ruins are as lively as they could be ahead of the Chinese New Year: as soon as they catch a glimpse of Macau’s most famous monument, crowds of tourists grab a chance to snap a photo of the old church façade. Surrounded by shops selling their famous almond cookies or Portuguese-inspired egg tarts, antiques and souvenirs, these streets are equal parts tourist paradise and nightmare to residents.
Hang on just a little longer though, because as soon as you take the first left before the St Paul’s Ruins, there’s a breath of fresh air leading down to Calçada do Amparo and the Chon Sau patio. As soon as you see the colorful walls and multi-colored bunting banners it’s a whole oasis of tranquility compared to the streets we’ve just been through.
At the Chon Sau patio and Rua de Nossa Senhora do Amparo, a project developed by local company Number 81 is adding a splash of color to this quiet old district. Over 10 shops – offering a wide array of options, ranging from ceramics to crafts from South Africa, coffee or Murano glass – will be opening until May.
Around seven shops already opened to the public early this month. Duarte Silvério, project director at Number 81, told The Times that they’re hoping to see all new shops opening in this district by May.
“Our project is linked to real estate, otherwise we wouldn’t be able to get all these spaces. So we opened a set of shops at the same time, some are based on a partnership; others are being rented out to respective shop owners; and others are consignments,” Mr Silvério explained.
The idea took shape one year ago, he added, since his company was also behind the opening of an art gallery at Lilau Square. They were hoping to sprinkle Macau’s streets with more creative shops, craftsmanship and bits of local culture.
But on these streets not everything can be about creative industries, Mr Silvério acknowledged. “We could not focus merely on the creative industries, because we wanted to reach a balance here. So there will be a coffee shop, there’s already the pastry shop ‘Cacao,’ serving French cookies and Italian ice cream. We have another shop here selling Murano glass, a shop of candies from around the world, and shops showcasing and selling artwork by artists from around the world,” he stressed.
Statuettes and small sheep figures flourish in the Chon Sau patio, which instantly draws the attention of all tourists who happen to stumble upon this old Macau neighborhood.
An antique shop was already open there, but “there wasn’t much happening” before Number 81 launched its project, Mr Silvério recalled.
“Although this district is very close to the St Paul’s Ruins, these streets are quieter and there wasn’t much going on here before. We wanted to bring more variety to these streets, although we don’t have anything against what streets surrounding St Paul’s Ruins offer [to tourists],” he said.
A café and a noodle shop due to open soon, a Korean clothing and make-up shop, and establishments showcasing locally produced artworks are some of the choices available at the Chon Sau patio. A shop showcasing works by Portuguese artist Mario Reis, who’s a ceramist, has also opened early this month.
A store called “Dare to Dream,” by a local fashion designer, will be opening at a later stage, Mr Silvério added.
With skyrocketing rents strangling many small businesses, Mr Silvério acknowledged that the company had to be more flexible: “Some of these places are being rented out at a lower price. Some rents are 60 or 70 percent of the current market price. We have other shops that operate under consignments. So we try to be a bit more flexible because we know it’s difficult [to pay rent in Macau].”
Number 81’s plan doesn’t stop on these streets. They are hoping to extend the project and expand their ideas into other historic Macau districts. “In May, we are planning on launching the same project in a different district, but another historic area. It’s also in a neighborhood which is known for having a lot of meaning to Macau,” he continued.
At the same time, there’s a second phase planned for these streets where the project is now being developed, he recalled.
Number 81 acknowledged that launching their project now that Chinese New Year is fast approaching is also a move toward capturing the attention of tourists. After a while, we all need a breath of fresh air amidst the chaos of Macau’s main touristic sites.