Dream has ended: Albert Leong parts with historic Chinatown building in downtown Lethbridge
The sale of the historic Bow On Tong building in downtown Lethbridge marked the end of an era, and the end of a dream for the building owner, 80-year-old Albert Leong.
“I’ve been out eight years, and I just turned 80,” said Leong. “I don’t know if I’ll be here another eight years, so I feel I have to give up this store.”
The Bow On Tong building helped support Chinese-Albertans in Lethbridge since the early 1900’s, operating as a grocery store and lodging house, and later as a traditional Chinese herbal shop.
Leong was born in the basement, grew up in the building and continued to live there, after he started running the family business.
He continued to entertain customers with stories of the Chinese community until 2013, when the building was condemned.
“It’s kind of sad that I have to leave,” said Leong. “The plan was to have this place fixed up and I would be here to tell stories.”
His stories and kindness impacted generations of southern Albertans, who came to know Leong as the face of Chinatown in Lethbridge.
The Bow On Tong Building, Lethbridge, July 14, 2021
He was generous to children who came into the store as well as kids whose parents operated nearby businesses.
Cherie Souther operated a store next to Bow On Tong for about 15 years, and her children would visit Leong seven days a week.
“He is their grandpa,” said Souther. She added Leong would often cook breakfast for her three children before they went to school.
“The humblest, kindest person in the whole wide world,” said Souther.
Candace Dueck remembers visiting Leong’s store when she was a child.
“He’d open the apothecary drawers and show me all the treasures inside,” said Dueck.
“It was like magic going into his store.”
Dueck, who is related to Leong through marriage, said she would hang out at the Bow On Tong while her parents were shopping at the nearby grocery store.
“Albert would always have the stories about what’s in the boxes.”
Her parents would allow her to buy one thing, but Leong would provide the “kid discount” and always throw in a couple of other trinkets that she had her eye on.
Leong said the last 10 years he operated the store there was almost no business, adding he often lost money on transactions.
“Someone would come in and buy a 10 dollar basket that I didn’t mark up much, and I’d give another two dollars off and there’s two kids, so I give each of the kids a little toy,” he chuckled. “If they didn’t come in I’d be ahead.”
LIVING MUSEUM
Leong’s dream was to turn the old store into a living museum, to help keep the memories around the early Chinese community in Lethbridge alive.
The building was given historic designation by the province in 2019. Several groups tried to raise money and apply for grants to restore the building, but those efforts ended after over $106,000 was put into structural repairs.
Leong said after years of waiting, he was left with no choice but to sell, and walk away from his family legacy.
Souther said there were good intentions, but an unfortunate series of events led to the building being sold.
“It’s a story of a man displaced from his home,” said Souther. “He will never get back in. Things will never be the same.”
Holding placards with words of support, friends and family joined Leong on a two block walk, from his current one room apartment, to his former lifelong home and business.
Leong said he was overwhelmed by the love, and thanked all the people who tried to get him back into the store.
“I was the last guy in Chinatown,” said Leong. “Now it seems like I’m going to be leaving too.”
EMOTIONAL DAY
“It’s an emotional day,” added Ying Zheng, Vice-President of the Southern Alberta Chinese Association.
“Today is the last day of Albert in Chinatown,” she said.
“But hopefully it will be the first day of a new era in which we treat our elders with more humanity and respect.”
“Without him here, Chinatown is no more,” added Souther. “Albert was Chinatown.”
Leong said he will be okay, and has come to realize he can live anywhere. But he hopes people will remember how important it is to preserve our history.
“For decades we lived here, we worked here, we were and are part of the community," said Leong.
”It’s so sad that Chinatowns are disappearing in so many cities.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Still so much love between us,' Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
What to know about avian influenza in dairy cows and the risk to humans
Why is H5N1, or bird flu, a concern, how does it spread, and is there a vaccine? Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions about avian influenza.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
opinion The special relationship between King Charles and the Princess of Wales
Royal commentator Afua Hagan writes that when King Charles recently admitted Catherine to the Order of the Companions of Honour, it not only made history, but it reinforced the strong bond between the King and his beloved daughter-in-law.
Pro-plastic lobbyist presence at UN talks is 'troubling,' say advocates
Environmentalist groups are sounding the alarm about a steep increase in the number of pro-plastic lobbyists at the UN pollution talks taking place this week.
'Too young to have breast cancer': Rates among young Canadian women rising
Breast cancer rates are rising in Canada among women in their 20s, 30s and 40s, according to research by the University of Ottawa (uOttawa).
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
$70M Lotto Max winners kept prize a secret from family for 2 months
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Trump's lawyers grill ex-tabloid publisher as 1st week of hush money trial testimony nears a close
After prosecutors' lead witness painted a tawdry portrait of “catch-and-kill” tabloid schemes, defence lawyers in Donald Trump's criminal trial on Friday sought to dig into an account of the former publisher of the National Enquirer and his efforts to protect Trump from negative stories during the 2016 election.