10138 97 Street, Edmonton
Also known through the years as Hong Tai & Company Merchants, Hong Tai Chong & Company, and Hop Yick Lung Company.
This building was a residence of G. Young in 1910. It was simply noted as “Chinese” at this address from 1911-1912. In 1913, the tenant was Hong Tai Café & Co. Merchants. Besides a restaurant Hong Tai was also a Chinese goods store. In 1915, the word café disappeared from the business name, leaving it just Hong Tai Chong & Company General Merchants and in the following year the building was left vacant. The next business in this building was American Dry Cleaners in 1921 and shortly after that it was a shoeshine store called Namayo Shoe Shine Parlor, owned by Robert Beaut who resided in the same place as his business until 1922. Alphonse Moyen lived in it from 1923-1924. Hop Yick Lung Company, another general merchants’ store selling Chinese goods, started operating in this building in 1925 until the building was demolished in 1979 to make way for the construction of Canada Place. Mr. Jimmy Gin, who came to Edmonton in 1949, recalled that Hop Yick Lung Company opened the longest hours of all similar Chinese businesses in Chinatown. His father was already in Edmonton for a number of years and had worked for Hop Yick Lung.
This building was likely built in 1914 as there was no such address in the Henderson’s Directory prior to that year.
Era: The War Years
Themes:
Trade & Industry
Cultural Groups:
Chinese
Area:
Central