Mar Kee Hi-Fi
On a corner of Ap Liu Street, passers-by sometimes hear a beautiful singing
voice wafting though the air, seemingly the popular singer Paula Tsui. The
sound comes from Mar Kee Hi-Fi, and the singer is of course Winnie, the “Singing
Queen of Ap Liu Street”.
However, Winnie does not make a living by singing;
she makes a living by selling microphones! “We sell microphones, so I will
demonstrate them personally, and customers can tell the qualities of the different
equipment”, she said. “The atmosphere is lightened up through singing,
and customers will come to chat. It does not matter if they do not buy; we try to
make friends!” Winnie’s singing gives a big attraction to her husband’s shop.
In the 1960s, Mark was just an apprentice to a street vendor, selling Walkman’s.
The he worked up, and started selling in a shop, but the demand for higherclass
audio equipment began to decline. The husband and wife team works
hard to sustain their business; Winnie has to haul heavy speakers around at
times. They focus on karaoke equipment now, and they share their hardships
and rewards. Although “Mar Kee (The Twins)” was originally named for Mark
and his twinbrother, it may well refer to this sweetheart couple.
