「志在創業– 設計與創意工業」2009課程 - Hong Kong Design Centre

OVO’s Wanchai Story
OVO 的 灣 仔 情 緣
“To operate a business in a historical building (Wo Cheung Pawn Shop)
rarely found in the city districts of Hong Kong - you couldn’t ask for more.”
「 在 香 港 市 區 很 難 找 到 歷 史 建 築 物 , 能 夠 在 那 裡 ( 和 昌 大 押 ) 開 店 , 實 在 可 遇 不 可 求 。」
Thomas Ma, Co-founder and Chief Designer of the OVO Group
OVO 創 辦 人 及 首 席 設 計 師 — 馬 文 龍
From its humble beginning as a
small furniture store, OVO has in ten
years grown into a diverse business
group with its own furniture, florist, and
restaurant businesses. Its success can
be traced to its ties with Wanchai’s culture
and history. The founders themselves have
developed deep affection for the neighborhood.
There are many furniture stores located in
Wanchai, a district where middle class residents from
Hong Kong Island and foreign visitors shop for home or
office furnishings. Thomas Ma, one of the founders of
OVO, began operating a 400 sq. ft. furniture store, OVO
Home, on Sau Wa Fong with his three founder partners.
Although space was tight, they were able to squeeze in
a storefront with a small patio and a back-office for their
design studio. Initially, OVO Home was positioned as a
furniture consultancy, selling custom-designed furniture
and services. As the business grew, OVO moved to a 600
sq. ft. location on Star Street and finally, to its current
10,000 sq.ft location on Queen’s Road East.
In most Hong Kong homes, space is a scarcity. Nonetheless,
Thomas and his partners still strive to design furniture that
is aesthetically pleasing and practical, adding to everyone’s
joy of living. By fusing Chinese and western elements
in their design, they have created furniture with a Hong
Kong character. “We hope to bring out a local favor, which
helps to leave people, particularly those foreign residents
living on the island side, a deep impression about Hong
Kong’s lifestyle,” said Thomas. To promote environmental
sustainability, they have designed lasting furniture
collections with after sales support, in the hope that
customers can pass on the furniture to future generations.
To further enhance his works, Thomas applies his life and
travel experiences to furniture design. “I have spent most of
my time out of the office during the day, sometimes out of
town,” he said. “When I return to the office at night, others
have already left and that is the time that I would start
working. While located at the 600 sq. ft store on Star Street,
I would sometimes work on my sketches till 3 o‘ clock in
the morning. There was one occasion in which
a passerby knocked on my door to ask me why
I was still working.” Simple greetings such as this
have allowed Thomas feel the warmth.
In 2005, after OVO Home had firmly established
itself in the market, Thomas and his partners
started to branch out into other business
areas in the Wanchai district, beginning first
by opening a florist shop. In 2008, OVO Studio,
a furniture store that promotes vitality and
leisure lifestyle, and OVO Logue, a restaurant
mixed with arts and culture, were opened. All
four shops are related to promoting a quality
lifestyle-the central mission of OVO-in which
customers can experience life through all the
senses. Currently, 70% of OVO’s customers are
foreigners and the remaining 30% local Chinese.
Finding a good location for the stores is one of the
critical factors that has contributed to OVO’s success
as a diverse business group. Every OVO’s shop has
high ceiling, which suits the housed furniture and
home accessories and helps to deliver an enjoyable
shopping experience to customers.
Incredibly, the building where OVO Logue is now
located has also been rated as Grade 2 historical
building by the Antiquities and Monuments
Office. Wo Cheung Pawn Shop, built in 1888,
occupied the building where OVO Logue is
located. “Urban Renewal Authority liked the
concept of OVO Home and invited us to submit
a proposal to revitalize the pawn shop building
with a solution that could truly represent the
culture of Hong Kong,” said Thomas. The OVO
partners were granted the project, and allowed
to incorporate the building’s wooden staircases,
the pawn shop’s old safe, remaining signs and
window frames with the restaurant they now
operate. The renovations and repairs sought
to reproduce the characteristics of old Hong
Kong buildings, complete with nostalgic music
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