Semua House used to be a destination when I was in my teens. But over the years it had deteriorated. It could do with a facelift and that was exactly what it got. Rather than keeping it as it was - a store - it has now been turned into an urban cultural hub.
I caught news that it was opened just after Raya in May, but we never got around to have a look. It was not a planned outing. After returning Anita's Kunafa chocolate home before it melted, we were not really sure where to go. Why not Semua House? And we managed to negotiate the traffic without much hassle, parking in an open area just behind the building.
Since it was a Saturday, pasar malam was going on and the road at the front of Semua House was closed for the market. Might as well kill two birds with one stone? Semua House first, then pasar malam after.
One can't help but noticed that the idea behind this renovation took a leaf from REXKL. The walls and ceiling was stripped bare and the are was left open for lights and air, giving it an industrial feel. There was also a central stairwell which formed the heartbeat of the building.
Not many stores were open yet - surprisingly, Habib still had a jewellery shop at the very same spot as the old!
Semua House still had four retail floors - one entered the ground floor, and could go up a floor - which was still empty - or down a couple of floors with the lowest floor being converted into a food court - also empty.
There was an event going on by the central stairway today, and clearly there were plenty of work still needed to be done to developed this place. It needed more retailers, and foot traffic. The location was good, but it needed a purpose. We shall see how it developed in the coming months.
But now, it was time for pasar malam ...