Ah Sam & Co., Perth

Description

DescriptionAh Sam & Co. operated initially from 156 Barrack Street, Perth before moving to 164 Murray Street, Perth and then to 112 Barrack Street, Perth by 1909. It started as a greengrocers and operated from at least the early 1890s through to the 1920s.

Partners in 1898 were Quan Ah Sam of Little Bourke Street, Melbourne; C. C. Leng, Ah Wee, Leong On, Kwan Pigi all of 164 Murray Street, Perth; and Kwan Cheong Yin, Little Bourke Street, Melbourne. In 1900 the shop was still operating from 164 Murray Street (PO Directory 1900).

In the 1910s it was described as 'a seller of fancy goods' and as a fruit and produce store. The company was operated by Quan Ah Shem, his son Alexander Shem (Quan See Ching) and Quan Bart, until 1915 when Quan Bart retired from the business.

In 1925 Harold Shem reported that the business purchased all its fruit and vegetables from the markets and had no interest in any garden. In 1931 the store closed its oriental department, stating that it would expand the fruit and vegetable section of the store. The next year it was advertising a bag of free fruit to every customer to celebrate the opening of its new fruit and vegetable department.

In 1936, brothers Harold and Alexander Shem advertised that they were dissolving their Wholesale fruit and vegetable business. The retail section of the business had been sold to James Lee Wood, Charles Gooey and Kenneth Sehin Shem, who were to carry on the business at the same at the address and under the same firm name of "Ah Sam & Co." The wholesale portion of the business was sold to Etherington & Sons, Metropolitan Markets, Perth.

Address,112 ,Barrack Street,Perth,,,Location^[1]

Hand drawn image of the Ah Sam and Co fruit and vegetable shop, 1904, probably then at 164 Murray Street, Perth (source: "NEWS AND NOTES." The West Australian, 15 March 1909: 4)

Connections

Subject (person)AH KING (3)ING WAYLOUEY JUNEQUAN AH SAMQUAN HANYAH HONG WSHEM AlexanderLEONG SETAH WEE (7)Quan Ah SettLEE WOOD James (1)shem Kenneth SehinGOOEY CharlesAH KEO UNGSubject (place)164 Murray Street, Perth112 Barrack Street, PerthRelated collectionCelebrating 200 Years - National Foundation for Australia-China Relations ProjectRelated linkhttps://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/26951375https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/229357075he West Australian, 4 November 1925: 7

Item information

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UWA Collected

Ah Sam & Co., Perth

THE UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA