He sees shoe shining and restoration as a craft and career

A strong appreciation for leather kick-started his journey as an enterprising businessman

- Sue-Ann Tan Business Correspondent

The traditional services of shoe shining and shoe restoration get a modern twist from Mr John Chung, who has managed to turn them into a viable business.

He is the founder of Mason and Smith, which offers artisanal shoe care, and Margo and Smith, which deals in high-end handbag restoration.

The business is also Singapore's first shoe shine and repair salon with a dedicated luxury handbag restoration division.

Mr Chung, 33, started his shoe shine ventures over a decade ago, when he was 21.

He was accepted into Nanyang Technological University but chose to forgo higher education to pursue his business.

He says: "I'm very hands-on and want to experience many things. I didn't come from a well-off family so I had to work to buy the things I wanted.

"It was indeed very difficult juggling studies and part-time work but I told myself one day I will be rewarded for my hard work and kept pushing on."

Mr Chung started with just $700 and a fascination for secondhand leather shoes. In 2013, he began buying used leather shoes, restoring them by hand and selling them at local flea markets for a profit.

In 2014, he introduced a shoe shine chair concept in collaboration with The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, offering traditional hand-polished shoe shine services from a classic chair setup.

The following year, he launched Singapore's first dedicated shoe shine bar a concept that combined professional shoe repair with high-quality, hand-finished shoe shining in a refined setting.

"I developed a strong appreciation for leather as a material - its beauty, durability and ability to withstand the test of time. Some leather artifacts and collectibles can last for decades or even over a century, and the fact that they can be restored and revitalised after years of use truly captivated me," he recalls.