IPOH: An early 20th-century cylinder phonograph, named after its creator, Thomas Edison, sits proudly in one corner.
It is one of the prized possessions of antique collector Khairul Mohamad Jauhari, who believes the recording machine dates back to 1903 and originated in Britain.
Like all his other old treasures, he declined to disclose their value.
They are kept in a two-storey shoplot here, which exudes an air of nostalgia the moment you step inside.
“I started by collecting vinyl records. Then I visited a collector’s house and saw a radiogram and old furniture. I thought they were beautiful and started collecting furniture,” Khairul said in an interview at his shop here yesterday.
Nine years later, his collection grew so large that he decided to open an antique shop during the Movement Control Order (MCO) in 2020.
He has an extensive inventory that includes vintage furniture, grandfather clocks, wall clocks, oil lamps, gramophones, radiograms, retro TV sets and Peranakan Chinese items.
There is also a camera that he believes originated in the late 18th century.
Khairul collects old advertising signs, too.
“Some of these advertising signs were originally produced in Britain specifically for the Malaysian market, with wordings in Chinese, Jawi or Tamil,” he said.
Khairul, who is a project management consultant, said starting his shop during MCO proved to be an unexpected opportunity as many collectors and families were forced to sell their possessions because of financial difficulties.
“Before I had a shop, I couldn’t just enter someone’s house to look at their belongings. Now, people call me and ask, ‘Can you come see what I have?’” he said.
Khairul, 46, noted that demand for antiques is shifting, with younger people increasingly drawn to vintage decor.
“The younger generation loves old-style decoration. Many cafes use antique pieces as part of their interior because it creates a real attraction,” he added.
Khairul is now lovingly restoring old items like furniture, radios, amplifiers and clocks with the help of his partner Zaifa Aziz.
They would do the restoration work from a single-storey house which is a stone’s throw away from his shop.
Zaifa, 55, a former logging worker, has turned his lifelong interest in wood into a decades-long career restoring antique furniture.
“I started restoring things back in the 1990s. I learnt through experience.”
It is a craft that relies heavily on traditional techniques and patience, he added.
“I have liked working with wood ever since I was young,” he said, adding that his work gradually shifted from logging to furniture restoration.
Now retired, he assists Khairul on a part-time basis, focusing on restoring antique and uniquely crafted furniture.
According to Zaifa, restoration time varies depending on the condition of each item.
“Simple repairs may take about a week, while more complex restorations can take up to two or three weeks,” he said.
Zaifa explained that older furniture requires more detailed work due to traditional construction methods.
“Old pieces were made differently. They used traditional joints, and if a part is damaged, sometimes you have to drill or replace the joint,” he said, adding that many items were originally built without nails.
