A yellowing receipt, framed behind glass near the entrance of Abdul Razak Gold House, records an address that no longer officially exists: “63 Ampang Street, Kuala Lumpur (Malaya)”.
The shop’s modern glass frontage, polished counters and gleaming bullion cases give little away about its history. But step inside and that simple receipt serves as a small window onto pre-independence Malaysia.
For six decades, this family business has reinvented itself in step with the city around it. What began as a modest goldsmith’s counter beneath a row of old shophouses is now a brightly lit jewellery and bullion store.
Today, skyscrapers and overhead train tracks loom over the capital’s commercial core, and many of the businesses along Lebuh Ampang – the modern name for Ampang Street – that the shop’s proprietor remembers from his childhood have long since vanished.
Mohd Razalie Abdul Rasul, 37, is the newest custodian of Abdul Razak Gold House. He has expanded the business into bullion trading, bought the property next door and is, ultimately, preparing for a handover to the next generation.
“My dad is still a mentor, but the way he thinks and I think is totally different,” he said. “We have to think very modern. We have to stay one step ahead.”
Their family drama is a microcosm of the soul-searching currently sweeping Kuala Lumpur: how do you hold on to the past while still moving forward?