Our Story

Ah Mok once ran a comic book shop.
That shop was Ah Mok’s youthful dream,
filled with passion and hope.
The shelves were lined with comic books she had carefully selected,
each one as precious to her as her own child.
In the first few years, the shop gained a small reputation,
students from nearby primary and secondary schools,
and young comic lovers,
were all regular customers.

But later, the times changed.
As internet technology advanced,
people began reading comics online.
That squeezed the living space of traditional comic shops,
and the comic market gradually went into decline.
Ah Mok’s business grew quieter each year,
sometimes with barely a few customers in an entire day.

Every night, when closing the roller shutter,
Ah Mok would stand in the empty shop and ask herself:
“Ah Mok, how much longer can you hold on?”

She wanted so much to hold on to this passion,
but the numbers in her ledger told her
that keeping her dream alive came at a growing cost.
Debts piled up, pressing on her until she could hardly breathe.

Just when she was at a loss,
a friend who had once run a comic shop like her
found a new path.
During the golden age of comics,
he had opened several branches for wholesale,
but later fell deep into debt.
He had no choice but to let go of his obsession with comic shops
and open a noodle stall instead.

One day, Ah Mok went to visit him.
There he was,
standing beside a boiling pot, wearing an apron, his face covered in sweat,
yet he looked much more relaxed.
He placed a bowl of rice noodles before her and smiled:
“Try this, I made the broth myself.”

Ah Mok took a bite. It was delicious.
Looking at his busy back, she couldn’t help but ask,
“Don’t you regret it? Giving up those comic shops? They were your life’s work!”

He put down the ladle, wiped his hands, and said,
“Ah Mok, what’s there to regret? Before, I guarded those shops, drowning in debt, unable to sleep. Now, though it’s hard work, I can see money coming in every day, and I sleep peacefully at night.”

“Back then, I worked non-stop every day, worried about workers’ wages, cash flow, and bank debt.
Now it’s simple, just selling rice noodles. I even have spare money to travel. I just got back from Japan, nine days! 😁”

Those words struck a chord deep in Ah Mok’s heart.
When she left the noodle stall,
she walked slowly,
his words echoing again and again in her mind.

At that time, Ah Mok was already 38, pregnant, and facing an uncertain future.
Closing the comic shop
turned out to be harder than she had ever imagined.
Every comic, every VCD in the store
held her memories.
Standing in the familiar shop,
tears rolled down her face without her realising it.

It took Ah Mok several months to find a new direction.
By chance,
she came across the then-popular Taste & Tastes fried chicken seasoning.
Coincidentally, there was no distributor in Malacca.
So Ah Mok decided to stock it herself and became an agent,
trying to sell it through Facebook posts.
Unexpectedly, it sold out in just a few days.
Excited customers messaged her:
“Ah Mok, your fried chicken seasoning is amazing! It tastes incredible! Any more?”

The fried chicken seasoning was just the beginning.
Ah Mok began to think, what else could she sell besides that?
Then one day, a customer asked,
“Ah Mok, you’re such a foodie. Can you recommend where to buy pure coconut sugar?”

Ah Mok thought, instead of recommending it,
why not sell it herself?
And so, she began uncovering one old Malacca flavour after another:
coconut sugar, coffee, peanut anchovy crackers, dodol…
These traditional local specialties,
full of nostalgic Malacca flavours,
were all part of Ah Mok’s childhood memories.
Many were still handmade by the Pakciks and Makciks in her kampung hometown.

At first, she stocked and recommended them cautiously,
but soon more and more people started buying.
Many tourists and online customers were drawn to these traditional flavours.

The shop gradually became lively again.
Ah Mok learned how to introduce the products to customers:
“This coconut sugar is made with the most traditional method, pure and richly aromatic;
these peanut anchovy crackers are crisp and fragrant, perfect with tea…”

At the beginning, she named the store Ah Mok Shop
because she worried that if the local products didn’t sell well,
she could still switch to other goods,
basically, she could sell anything.
Unexpectedly, there was no need to worry.
All those nostalgic treats sold extremely well, often selling out! 😂

Over time, Ah Mok Shop took shape,
focusing on traditional Malacca local specialties.
Although the name remained “Ah Mok Shop,”
regular customers all knew
it had become a store dedicated to nostalgic Malacca delicacies.

To help customers understand the stories behind the products,
Ah Mok made the effort to explain
how coconut sugar was boiled,
the traditional process of making dodol,
and the origin of the peanut anchovy crackers.

Whenever she saw customers leave with satisfied smiles,
Ah Mok felt a deep sense of joy.
She knew that she wasn’t just selling products,
she was sharing a taste and a memory of Malacca.

Once, Ah Mok asked a friend, “Do you ever miss your old comic shop?”

He shook his head and smiled. “Sometimes, yes. But more than that, I feel grateful. That experience taught me that life can take different directions, you don’t have to cling to just one.”

“Do you think I’ll fail again like before?”
Ah Mok, in truth, was deeply insecure,
never sure how long Ah Mok Shop could last.

Her friend, stirring the pot of soup, replied,
“No. Because now you know, business isn’t only about sentiment, it’s also about the market. What you sell isn’t just goods, but memories and emotions.”

Sometimes, customers who saw Ah Mok’s Facebook posts would ask,
“Ah Mok, did you use to run a comic shop?”

She would always smile and answer,
“Yes, that was a part of my youth.
Though the shop is gone, the comics are still stored in my warehouse 😆.”
Indeed, all the comics are still carefully kept,
nostalgic as ever, she couldn’t bear to part with them.

Today, Ah Mok Shop has become a must-visit destination
for travellers seeking the true taste of Malacca.
Customers love rediscovering the flavours of their childhood here,
and enjoy listening to Ah Mok share the stories behind each local specialty.

Whenever someone asks, “Why is your shop still called ‘Grocery Shop’? You’re clearly a local specialty store,”
Ah Mok always smiles and answers,
“‘Grocery shop’ feels more down-to-earth, more like me.
Because no matter what I sell, I’m still the same ordinary Ah Mok.”

Every night, when closing the shop,
she often stands by the door,
looking at the simple signboard,
thinking back to the journey that began with selling fried chicken seasoning.
Although the road was full of challenges,
Ah Mok always feels happy,
because what she has built with heart is not just a shop,
but a collection of memories shared with others.

Life’s turning points often begin with a small decision.
What truly matters is to give your heart to whatever you do.

Though Ah Mok Shop is only a small store,
it has allowed her to find life’s true meaning,
to preserve traditional flavours
and share the memories that belong to Malacca.