歡迎光臨高雄市新聞局

Mr. Sheu Fong-yuan Revives the Traditional Craft of Fixing Umbrellas

◎English translation: Wendy Wei Chang

◎Photos by Pao Chung-hui, Li Ming-hui

　　Umbrellas are possessions that have a certain degree of sentimentality. Since people get so attached to them, instead of throwing them away, they often attempt to continue to use their umbrellas even after they have begun to fall apart. However, umbrellas and parasols will ultimately get lost or broken and therefore umbrellas do not stay in one's possession for very long. However, Mr. Sheu Fong-yuan explains, "Umbrellas can be fixed if they are broken. The problem is most people don't know how to take proper care of them so they last longer."

　　Mr. Sheu is the second generation owner of Ren Hau Umbrella Shop. He was born in the 80s and is the oldest child in his family. Mr. Sheu's family has been selling umbrellas for 22 years and opened the shop in 1997. In 2012, Mr. Sheu set up its webpage and began creating online videos that taught people the proper use of umbrellas and tips on how to care for them better.

　　Mr. Sheu's educational background is in information management. He also previously worked in finance and insurance. This has enabled him to explore new management styles that have enhanced his family's business. His focus is on understanding customers' particular needs. One example of how he has incorporated this model into the business is the various cards that can be found on the shelves beside the umbrellas with their names and product care information. There are many different types of umbrellas in the shop, including ones for rain and sun, foldable and lightweight, wind resistant and large 27-inch ones. Each umbrella comes with its own handmade instruction card, which also exemplifies Mr. Sheu's customer care.

　　Ren Hau was originally a shop that only sold umbrellas; however when Mr. Sheu Fong-yuan took over, it also became well known for its umbrella repair service. "At first, I took it as my responsibility to provide great post-sales service," explains Mr. Sheu. He recalls how he mastered his umbrella repair skills by disassembling the umbrellas in order to figure out their internal workings. "At first, I only worked on umbrellas that were sold in our shop, but after a while people began bringing umbrellas they had bought from other stores. I didn't even know why they were doing that! Then I learned that it was because people were posting information about our services online," he laughs. Mr. Sheu's skills continued to improve as the requests for him to fix peoples umbrellas increased. Ren Hau is so famous that even big franchises and department stores have used their umbrella repair services. He is honored that customers trust him to fix their umbrellas.

　　Thanks to his years of experience, Mr. Sheu is now a master in umbrella repair. "Before I sell an umbrella to a customer, I often remind them to take care of it," he says. Everyone who buys umbrellas from Ren Hau learns the correct way to use and care for umbrellas. As the old saying goes, "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure". Even if maintaining umbrellas good condition reduces the number of customers and sales, Ren Hau's mandate is to keep the umbrellas in as good condition as possible for as long as possible.

　　Most of the older generation use cobblers to fix their umbrellas, however because shoes these days yield a higher return, cobblers don't want to spend their time repairing umbrellas. This has resulted in a decline in umbrella repair experts and the tradition gradually being lost. With increasing environmental conscientiousness and affection for ones umbrella, Mr. Sheu has not only inherited the family business but has also become an expert umbrella repair man. Technology and internet connectivity has also made this umbrella shop in a small alley behind Kaohsiung's train Station extremely well known.

傘的復活記！許一個不會散的情

◎文／李明潓

◎攝影／鮑忠暉、李明潓

　　在台灣人的習俗裡，尤其是交往中的男女朋友，非常忌諱送傘，因為台語的傘與散同音。現實生活中，無論是雨傘還是陽傘，通常最終的命運不是被遺落，就是壞掉。剛壞時，或許撐著用，或許掙扎不忍丟棄，但最終還是擺脫不了被丟棄的命運。於是作為現代人身邊的一把傘，總是落得與主人情深緣淺 。

　　「傘壞了可以送修，但卻很少人知道，傘是可以保養的。」人豪洋傘行的第二代接班人許峰源靦腆地說。七年級生的許峰源是家中老大，懂事以來，家中就從事洋傘販售，從擺地攤到菜市仔再到獨立店面，許峰源可以說是被傘養大的小孩。

　　退伍後，他為傘店開了網路專頁，還將傘具的正確使用方式，以及保養知識，都製成影片上網分享；資訊管理學歷背景和金融保險業經歷，讓他開啟有別於家族傳統的經營方式。例如，他特別著眼於顧客的需求，而這點也體現在店內商品架，滿佈的各種貼心說明的小卡上。

　　「7、8月的高雄，下雨多，又悶熱」「出國塞行李，小包包專用」「媽＋嬰兒車雙人份大傘」「專賣丟傘王、健忘者、放生達人的超低價專區」「女孩們外地念書，新竹風專用…」放眼望去，每一張手工製作的小卡，都深刻感受到照顧客人需求的貼心與用心。

　　有趣的是，家族原本只是賣傘的店，在許峰源接手後，竟在修傘修出名聲。「一開始是基於責任感，提供售後服務。」許峰源回憶當年為了瞭解傘的結構，甚至把整支傘全部拆解，進而摸索出一套修傘技能。

　　「一開始只修自家賣的傘，不知為何，後來別人家的傘也送上門來。」說到這裡許峰源笑開地說，「後來才知道是網友分享」。因為接單很多，讓他的技術更精進，偶而碰到無法修復的罕見故障，信任他的客人也會把傘留下讓他慢慢摸索。結果，「人豪」的修傘口碑，甚至連大型通路連鎖店、百貨公司精品專櫃小姐也慕名而來。

　　因為修傘累積的經驗，「後來賣出的每一把傘，都有我的再三叮嚀。」許峰源說去過人豪買傘的客人一定都聽過傘具正確使用方法和保養技巧。秉持預防勝於治療，人豪一點都不擔心因為修傘或保養得宜的傘，造成來客數變少。

　　老一輩的人修傘，都是找修鞋匠，然而同樣的工時，修鞋相對好賺，造成修傘技藝逐漸沒落。但工商發展到極致，環保意識和懷舊情感抬頭，加上網路科技促成，繼承家業的年輕人，從賣傘到專精修傘，在高雄後火車站正對面的巷弄中，上演一齣齣動人的雨傘復活記。